Two held for vandalising 'Periyar' statue

Two persons were today arrested at Tirupattur in the district for allegedly vandalising a statue of rationalist leader E V Ramasamy, popularly known as 'Periyar'.
A senior district police official said the two vandalised a bust-size statue of Ramasasmy in an inebriated state.
Police identified the arrested as Muthuraman and Francis.
While Muthuraman is suspected to be a BJP worker, Francis is believed to be a CPI activist, police said.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a row over comments made by BJP leader H Raja indicating that statues of "Periyar" could be the next to be pulled down after a Lenin statue was razed in Tripura.

As the remarks in a facebook post against late Ramasamy, founder of the Dravidian movement, drew condemnation from several political parties in the state, Raja deleted it.
BJP's state unit distanced itself from the issue, saying it was his personal view.