CHENNAI: A day after visuals of brutal police attack on unarmed women and anti-liquor shop protesters in Tiruppur district went viral and rocked
Tamil Nadu, the state government on Wednesday told the Madras high court that inquiry has been instituted against errant additional deputy superintendent of police Pandiarajan and the licence to relocate a shop to Samalapuram in the district has been cancelled.
When the matter was taken up for hearing by the first bench of Chief justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar on Wednesday, state advocate general R Muthukumaraswamy said action was being taken against the officer.
The advocate general also claimed that the protesters had pelted stones at police and that many
cops
, including an inspector, had been injured in the violence. A police vehicle was also damaged, he said.
In their order, the judges said: "From the averments in the writ petition, it appears that the relocation of a shop in Tiruppur area resulted in protest and skirmish. It is alleged that police committed excesses. It is also alleged that one Easwari of Iyyampalayam and one Sivaganesh of Samalapuram were injured.”
"So far as the relocation of the shop is concerned, advocate general submitted that the relocation site is cancelled. So far as the injured are concerned, they may be examined in any government hospital of their choice and, if necessary, they be provided treatment and all the treatment expenses will be borne by the state government. So far as the errant police officer is concerned, advocate general submitted that action has already been initiated and an enquiry is instituted."
Earlier in the morning, advocate K Balu and activist K R Traffic Ramaswamy mentioned the matter requesting the bench to give urgent hearing.
The issue relates to anti-liquor protests at Samalapuram near Coimbatore, and participants were opposing relocation of a Tasmac outlet in the locality. When they spotted Sulur MLA R Kanagaraj’s car coming that way, protesters blocked it. This infuriated a posse of policemen led by Pandiarajan, who ordered lathicharge on the peaceful protesters.
Video clippings of Pandiarajan going berserk and attacking passersby and then pushing and
slapping
a woman went viral. The woman is said to have suffered severe ear injury and might lose hearing ability in one ear. Following the unprovoked assault, activists and aggrieved locals were sitting on a fast at Samalapuram.
Watch video of police slapping a woman Besides political leaders like M K Stalin of DMK, the issue has triggered an avalanche of criticism against police and Pandiarajan on social media portals as well.
On Tuesday morning, Balu said Tasmac shops and bars were being removed and relocated pursuant to the Supreme Court ruling that no such entities should be permitted within 500 metres of national and state highways. Such relocation was being opposed by residents in more than 50 places in the state, he said.
He said a woman, identified as Eswari, was slapped and pushed by Pandiarajan, and a man, identified as Sivaganesan, too was injured. While Eswari might lose her hearing ability in one ear, Sivaganesan has head injuries. Both were not allowed to get admitted to a government hospital, Balu said, adding that they were now taking treatment in a private nursing home.
Besides providing proper medical attention to the two, the erring officer should be punished for the brutality, he said.
Referring to a November 16, 2016, Madras high court judgment which had categorically said that when people had gathered in front of liquor shops and expressed their displeasure over running of the shop in that placed, the court could not allow the shop to be run at the place, he said the police attack was against the judgment. Disregarding public opposition, authorities were opening liquor shops with police protection, he said.
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