Police pacifying protesters at Panahalli village in Thalavadi Hill in Erode district on Friday.
| Photo Credit: HANDOUT_E_MAIL
Tension prevailed in Thalavadi Hills on Friday over a dispute concerning a 9.5 acre cemetery at Panahalli village, used by all local communities. Thalavadi tahsildar and police officials had recently erected wire fence around the cemetery, claiming the land belonged to the Waqf Board.
Both sides have approached the Madras High Court. The court, while examining the case, had issued a notice directing the State government to respond appropriately regarding the cemetery issue.
On Thursday night, while the case was pending, unidentified persons reportedly damaged the fence erected around the cemetery. Based on the CCTV footage, police picked up 10 suspects from Panahalli village at 2 a.m. on Friday and took them for questioning. This led to angry villagers protesting at midnight, questioning why the arrests were made at night and asking officials to come in the morning. They also blocked a government vehicle during the protest.
Sathyamangalam Deputy Superintendent of Police (in charge) Shanmugasundaram tried to hold peace talks with the villagers. When some villagers refused to cooperate and suddenly raised black flags in protest, the situation escalated. They continued to stage a protest in the village and over 250 policemen were posted to maintain law and order in the village.
Published – January 02, 2026 07:15 pm IST
