Seven men, including two police personnel, were injured in a clash that erupted between two communities at Ilamanur near Ilayangudi in Sivaganga district on Monday.
Police sources said that members of Mukkulathor community had erected a photo board of their community leader long ago in the village.
As opposition arose from the Devendra Kula Vellalar community residing in the village over placing the board with their community leader, a peace meeting was arranged last year and officials instructed to remove the photo board from the area. However, the board was never removed. Instead, last week, the board was renovated.
In response, members of the Devendra Kula Vellalar community erected a photo board of their community leader on Monday morning, which triggered a clash between the two factions, police sources said.
The clash led to stone pelting between the two groups, resulting in damage to the board and injury to five men and two police personnel. The injured were admitted at Ramanathapuram Government Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Members of the Devendra Kula Vellalar community staged road blockade demanding the arrest of the attackers and permission to re-erect the board. District Superintendent of Police G. Chandeesh and Sivaganga SP R. Shiva Prasad along with other revenue officials held talks with the protesters. They eventually detained a few individuals from the other side and granted permission to re-erect the board.
This resulted in angering the members of Mukkulathor community, who, in turn, resorted to a road blockade demanding the immediate release of those detained by the police and removal of the board. As the situation escalated, over 300 police personnel were deployed, and Ramanathapuram Range DIG Pa. Moorthy arrived at the location to overview the situation.
In connection with the same incident, members of Devendra Kula Vellalar community staged a road blockade protest at the five-road-junction in Paramakudi.
Mr. Chandeesh said they had held talks with members of both sides and there was no fear of further escalation. “They will soon call off their protests,” he added.
Published – November 03, 2025 09:51 pm IST
