The Coimbatore City Police on Thursday arrested a man on charges of attacking a woman conservancy worker attached to Coimbatore Corporation after allegedly being asked to source segregate domestic waste during disposal.
According to the police, Jothiammal (58), a conservancy worker at Ward No. 80 of Coimbatore Corporation for over three decades, was collecting segregated waste from households near R.G. Street in separate bins on Thursday morning. The accused Vinod Jain (46) allegedly dumped mixed waste into a segregated waste bin. A heated argument ensued between the two as she asked him to segregate the waste, which led to him allegedly attacking her with a flask above her left eyebrow, the police said.
Following this incident, several conservancy workers staged a demonstration at Variety Hall Road police station demanding action against the man who attacked the conservancy worker.
Raja Gopal Sunkara, Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation, visited Ms. Jothiammal at CMCH shortly after her admission. He told The Hindu that he “personally spoke” to the officers of Coimbatore City Police to initiate action against the accused following the incident. “Regarding segregation [of waste], we had a meeting of Swachh Bharat ambassadors last week and we have been continuously creating awareness,” Mr. Sunkara said.
Based on a complaint from Ms. Jothiammal, the Variety Hall Road police station registered a case against Vinod Jain under section 3 (2) (va) (Whoever, not being a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe, commits any offence specified in the Schedule, against a person or property, knowing that such person is a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act along with sections 294(b) (Uttering obscenities), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code. He was arrested by Thursday evening.
The police produced the accused before Principal District and Sessions Judge, Coimbatore R. Sakthivel, who remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.
