36 held following group clash over water in TN

Jayankondam, Sep 7: Thirtysix persons were arrested following a clash between two groups of villagers over a tank water at Kasangkottai village near here yesterday.

Police said the trouble started when the villagers of Kasangkottai alleged that the villagers at Pudhupalayam were poisoning the tank.

Meanwhile, based on the representation of the villagers of Pudhupalayam, the Ariyalur district administration had initiated steps for renovation of the tank. The villagers of Kasangkottai, however, protested against the decision and the work was stopped.

They saw a few dead fishes floating in the tank and suspected the Pudhupalayam villagers for poisoning the tank.

Following this, a wordy duel erupted between the villagers, which resulted in a free-for-all when both the groups attacked each other with stones and wooden logs. Thirty persons were injured in the clash.

Based On the information, a police team rushed to the spot and separated the warring groups. When attemps were made to arrest them, the villagers of Pudhupalayam attacked the police party, in which a few policemen were injured.

The injured were admitted to various hospitals in the district.

Security had been tightened in view of the incident, police added.

UNI