Villagers block Trichy-Karur NH over denial of nod for festival

Trichy: Villagers from Kodiyalam in Trichy district on Sunday held a road blockade on the Trichy-Karur national highway (NH) alleging that police and revenue department denied permission to conduct the annual festival at a Mariamman temple.Villagers planned to commence the festival on May 31 (Sunday) and submitted petitions seeking permission. However, citing the history of events that unfolded in temple festivals over the last three years, police denied permission.Two murders linked to disputes between two different groups in the conduct of the festival were reported in 2023 and 2025. Though the villagers through a court directive obtained permission to host the festival, the two groups failed to achieve a consensus.As permission was denied again, villagers blocked the highway on Sunday morning for about an hour. Several vehicles were stuck in the bottleneck. Villagers demanded permission to conduct the festival.In a peace talk, police agreed to permit the festival under the condition that villagers ensure public safety and violence free celebrations. Subsequently, the protest was withdrawn.