Tension erupted after DMK cadres extorted tokens for the COVID vaccine and stopped a female teacher from entering the vaccination centre at Erode.
Erode DMK cadres stormed the vaccination centre at the Government Girls’ High School near Panneerselvam Park in Erode, extorting tokens from government officials, closing the entrance and refusing to issue tokens to those in the queue.
Residents allege that it has been customary for DMK cadres to extort 40 out of every 100 tokens for COVID vaccination, and that those 40 tokens were exclusively handed to family and acquaintances of DMK cadres.
On Friday, as DMK cadres were extorting tokens as usual, a youth who was waiting to get vaccinated questioned them about why they were extorting tokens. An accomplice of the DMK union secretary Sasi Kumar began assaulting the youth who questioned them, angered by the questioning. Instead of controlling the DMK cadres, the police officers present at the vaccination centre sent the youth out.
The DMK cadres then locked the school gate and refused entry. They also stopped the entry of a school teacher who attempted to enter the school for work purposes.
The school teacher got enraged by the DMK cadres’ behaviour and began arguing with them. She was later whisked away by other teachers. Journalists who attempted to record the scene were also intimidated by DMK cadres.
(with inputs from Dinamalar)
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