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Tamil Nadu
Diluting the spirit of statues Law & order
Statues seem to be vulnerable to vandalism in the southern districts, says S. Vijay Kumar
In less than six months, it was the third instance of vandalism caused to statues of leaders that resulted in tension in Madurai. The bandh called by the All India Forward Block on April 24 in the southern districts to condemn the “disrespect” shown to the statue of Muthuramalinga Thevar in Madurai witnessed violent incidents, including hurling of petrol bombs at bus
es, attacking police and defying prohibitaory orders.
At least 200 buses of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation went off the roads with broken windshields. A few drivers were injured and the crew resorted to a flash strike. A similar sequence of incidents occurred during October 2007 when a disrespectful act was alleged on the statue of B.R. Ambedkar at Avaniapuram. A couple of days ago, a statue of Thevar was vandalised at Kodanginayakkanpatti near Ezhumalai leading to suspension of bus services.
Statues seem to be emerging vulnerable to vandalism in the caste-conscious southern districts. With new statues coming up, with or without the permission of the Government, law enforcing agencies are having a tough time guarding them from miscreants. Round-the-clock security has been provided for statues of leaders in Madurai.
“It is common knowledge that statues are coming up every other day. At this rate, in future, it may give room for further conflicts and it is going to be a perennial headache for the Government and the people will suffer if there is some unrest …”
This was the observation made by P. Gomathinayagam who led the commission of enquiry into caste conflicts in parts of southern districts of Tamil Nadu during 1995. Mr. Gomathinayagam had emphasised in his recommendations that erection of statues in public places must be totally banned.
Madurai Collector, S.S. Jawahar, said statues should be installed after obtaining permission from the Government.
Else, it would lead to removal. “We are planning to provide a wire mesh to protect statues from vandalism. Round-the-clock security is being provided to statues,” he added.
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