Violence breaks out in Tamil Nadu over girl's death, police opens fire in air

Kallakurichi, July 17: Violence broke out on Sunday near here as protesters demanding justice over the death of a girl student went on a rampage setting fire to vehicles and indulged in stone pelting, in which police personnel also became the target.

Police opened fire in the air at least twice to restrain the violent mobs. Chief Minister M K Stalin appealed to the people to maintain peace and assured them that those guilty would be punished. Stalin tweeted saying he has directed top officials to rush to Kallakurichi.

The agitators, pushing down barricades put up by the police, stormed the premises of an 'international' school at nearby Chinnasalem and set buses parked inside the institution's premises on fire, police said. Some of them set ablaze a police bus as well.

A car was turned upside down and damaged using hammers. Several protesters managed to reach the terrace and vandalised the school name board and held high banners seeking justice for the dead girl. Outnumbered for a while, the best efforts of police to disperse the protesters proved futile. Police personnel from nearby districts have begun arriving here as part of measures to tackle the situation.

A chunk of agitators had a free run and indulged in vandalism inside the school premises. Some of them took away things like furniture and almirah from the school, damaged them and set them on fire on the road. The protesters include volunteers of a youth outfit and they had gathered in huge numbers following messages in social media urging solidarity for justice. While agitators flung stones at police men and women, several uniformed personnel picked up such stones and threw them back at the mobs.

As a result of the violence, which began as a 'road blockade protest' on Sunday, led to traffic disruptions on the arterial Chennai-Salem highway. Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu appealed to the people to maintain calm and warned against resorting to violence. Tough action would be taken against those indulging in violence, he told reporters in Chennai. A-17 year old girl, studying Class 12 in a private residential school in Chinnasalem, about 15 km from here was found dead on July 13 in the hostel premises.

The girl, an inmate of a room on the third floor of the hostel was suspected to have ended her life by jumping to the ground from the top floor. A postmortem report reportedly indicated that she had sustained injuries before her death. Police registered a case and a probe is on.

Shocked by her death, her parents, relatives and people belonging to her village Periyanasalur, off Veppur in Cuddalore district have been staging non-stop protest seeking justice. Blaming the 'international' school authorities and seeking action against them they held a protest here on July 16 for the fourth successive day. Their demands, that have the support of a political outfit and the youth wing of a Left party, include a CB-CID probe and arrest of those responsible for the girl's death.