Kallakurichi: A number of vehicles, including police vans, were torched as a large scale violence broke out in a private residential school on Sunday demanding justice following the death of a 12th standard girl student on July 13, even as Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, while promising action against the management, appealed for peace.
Hundreds of people, including students and locals, suddenly gathered in front of the school at Kaniyamoor village near Chinna Salem in Kallakurichi district, broke the police barricades, pelted stones at the police and stormed into the school premises and went on the rampage, damaging whatever they lay their hands on.
A native of Cuddalore district, the girl student, who was staying in the third floor hostel, had reportedly jumped to death on July 13 and their family members (who were staging non-stop silent protests in Periyanasalur village off Veppur in Cuddalore district) refused to take the body after post mortem--which had reportedly revealed some injuries--and had been demanding justice, a thorough probe and action against the school management.
A wave of protestors staged road roko on the Chennai-Salem highway for the last three days--affecting traffic-- as the crowd kept swelling every day, before it turned violent today after police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse them to ensure free flow of traffic on the busy arterial highway.
Police personnel, who were initially outnumbered by the protestors, struggled to contain the crowd, which kept swelling following a Whatsapp group post demanding justice to the girl.
As the protestors pelted stones and broke the barricades and the situation threatened to go out of control, police opened two rounds of fire in the air, but it had no impact.
More than 20 police personnel, including Inspector General Pandian sustained bleeding injuries and were admitted to hospital, before the protestors barged into the school, damaged the vehicles and set them on fire, besides vandalising the entire premises.
Almost all the school buses (at least 20-30) parked in the campus, besides police vehicles, and a tractor, which the agitators used to damage the buses by ramming them into it, were set ablaze as the protests turned violent.
Venting their anger, they also entered the office rooms in the school and damaged the furnitures and window panes as the school campus looked like a battle zone.
In a bid to quell the violence, District Collector Sridhar, who had been monitoring the situation, clamped prohibitory orders under Sec 144 in Kallakurichi taluk and other nearby areas.
Additional forces, including striking force personnel were summoned, who evicted the protestors from the campus and brought the situation under control at around 1430 hrs.
While promising a transparent probe and stringent action if the school management was at fault, Sridhar told reporters that the situation was now completely under control.
Prohibitory orders were clamped and a large number of police personnel were deployed to prevent any further incident.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister appealed for peace and assured people that those responsible for the girl's death would be punished.
In a tweet, Stalin said "The situation prevailing in Kallakurichi is regrettable. Those behind the girl's death will be definitely punished after the completion of the police inquiry."
Stalin appealed to the people to have confidence in the actions of the government and to maintain peace, and directed Home Secretary K Phanindra Reddy and Director General of Police C.Sylendra Babu to rush to Kallakurichi to monitor the situation.
Earlier, the DGP in a hurriedly convened press conference in Chennai, alleged that it was a premeditated attack by the protesters.
An additional team of 500 police personnel, headed by ADGP Tamaraikannan, was rushed to the spot.
He said the case was being thoroughly investigated and the demand for arrest of teachers could not be met without any evidence of their involvement in the girl’s death.
He warned the protesters that strict action would be initiated if they did not stop their violence immediately.
While warning that action would be taken against those who indulged in violence based on the CCTV footages, he said a detailed report would be presented to the court when the case pertaining to the girl’s death will be taken up tomorrow. (UNI)
