Thiruvalluvar statue desecrated in TN, police assure action

Miscreants desecrated a statue of saint-poet Thiruvalluvar leading to outrage with opposition parties including the DMK and local people demanding action to bring the culprits to book.

The statue was on Monday found smeared with cow dung and eyes 'blindfolded' with what appeared to be a black paper at Pillayarpatti, about 12 km from here.

As soon as word spread about the desecration, local people took to the streets demanding immediate action to nab those involved.

Vallam DSP Seetharaman rushed to the spot and conducted an inquiry. The Tamil University police registered a case and formed a special team to nab the miscreants.

Women volunteers of 'Thiruvalluvar Peravai', students from Tamil University, members of a Tamil outfit and local people led by DMK MLAs, Durai Chandrasekaran and T K G Neelamegam staged protests seeking immediate action.

DMK chief M K Stalin, senior Tamil Nadu BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan were among those who sought immediate action to nab those involved.

Inspector General of Police V Varadaraju told reporters a case has been registered and special teams are on the job to arrest the miscreants.

"Expeditious action is being taken to apprehend the culprits," he said.

A case under four IPC sections including promoting enmity between different groups, making imputations, prejudicial to national integration, insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace was registered, the IGP said.

On November 1, the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit on its twitter handle had written a couplet from Thiruvalluvar's classic "Thirukkural," questioning the utility of education if the Almighty was not worshipped.

Tagging the couplet, the saffron party targeted the Dravidar Kazhagam, DMK and the Left parties for allegedly deriding God and for berating the believers and posed "what is the use of their education."
The Left parties too targeted the BJP for "saffronising Thiruvalluvar."