Following fresh communal tension in Coimbatore on Tuesday, security has been stepped up with 1,000 police personnel along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel maintaining vigil in the textile city.
The vigil was mounted after the Hindu Munnani said in the morning that it suspected that a failed attempt was made to hurl a ‘petrol bomb’ at its head office in Kattoor in the city. Close on its heels, a functionary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), an Islamic outfit, was beaten up in the area by unidentified persons.
Coimbatore Commissioner of Police Sumit Sharan told The Hindu that 1,000 policemen and RAF personnel were deployed to monitor the situation in the city. A separate Deputy Commissioner of Police will be in charge of the Kattoor area following the two incidents, he said.
T. Guna, State executive committee member of Hindu Munnani, alleged that when the outfit’s functionaries opened the office on Ranga Konar Street around 10.45 a.m they found a broken bottle with a white cloth and wick tied to it. He claimed that the ‘petrol bomb’ could have been hurled in the early hours of the day.
Acting on a complaint, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) L. Balaji Saravanan along with other police officers inspected the premises around noon.
Speaking to mediapersons following the inspection, Mr. Guna alleged that the Hindu Munnani was “repeatedly targeted for the past 10 days.” Its district secretary Madukkarai Anand was attacked by miscreants on the night of March 4. Mr. Guna condemned the police for not arresting the accused involved in the assault and for not providing police security to the Hindu Munnani office.
Functionary attacked
Hours after the incident was reported, a group attacked SDPI district secretary Mohammad Iqbal (52) after barging into his shop at Ram Nagar on Tuesday afternoon. An SDPI spokesperson said Mr. Iqbal suffered injuries at the back of his head and his right eye. He was admitted at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH). He claimed Mr. Iqbal was attacked by seven men. The Hindu Munnani and the SDPI announced that protests would be held in parts of the city on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi president M.H. Jawahirullah raised suspicion over the Hindu Munnani’s claim that there was a bid to attack its office. Pointing out that multiple CCTV cameras were installed in the area, he urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the accused.
In a separate case, the Saravanampatti police on Tuesday arrested BJP member K. Pandi (41) and VHP member V. Akil (23) on charges of hurling a petrol bomb at a mosque in Vedambal Nagar on March 5. The accused were nabbed at Chinnavedampatti after they attempted to speed away on a two-wheeler from a police team engaged in a vehicle check.
During interrogation, they allegedly confessed to having hurled the petrol bomb at the mosque in response to the attack on Hindu Munnani leader Madukkarai Anand the previous day. The police claimed that the accused were planning further attacks. The Saravanampatti police remanded the accused in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, the District Administration and Coimbatore City Police will conduct communal harmony meetings between Hindus and Muslims to deescalate tensions in the city, Mr. Sharan said.
