Tensions were high in the Tenkasi district’s Kadayam area after Tamil Nadu police threatened to file bogus charges against a Hindu resident who refused to remove saffron flags from his home.
A video of a police inspector arguing with Chelladurai, a resident of the Kadayam area in Tenkasi district in Tamil Nadu, for hoisting a Hindu saffron flag atop his home, has gone viral on social media platforms.
A police officer, identified as Inspector Reghurajan, can be seen approaching Chelladurai’s home in the footage. The police officer picks up an argument with Chelladurai’s family and orders him to take down the saffron flag that has been placed outside his home. After he removes the Hindu Munnai flag, a bulldozer arrives at the location and razes his residence’s compound wall.
A Hindu family is forced to remove saffron flag from their house, got beaten by police & house bulldozed.
This incident is not from Pakistan but an Indian state Tamilnadu. pic.twitter.com/HV0GRFSMGW
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) July 30, 2021
The alleged incident took place at Pulavanoor village, which is located near Kadayam. After a church filed a complaint against the family, police officer Reghurajan arrived on the scene to take action against Chelladurai and his family. Several people, including women and children, sat on the road to protest the registration of bogus complaints against members of Hindu groups while police began to remove the outer wall of Chelladurai’s residence.
“You are silent on atrocities committed by other religions, but you want us to remove the encroachment; we are willing; but first, ask the Christians to remove the illegal encroachment,” the irate family members of the Chelladurai approached the police after the demolition. “Don’t we have the freedom to fly the flag of the political party of our choice?”
“Do not speak rules,” the Inspector advised them in return. If you do, I’ll file a fake case against you. So get rid of the encroachment as well as the flag.”
The conflict between Chelladurai and a Christian group, according to Kutralanthan, a Hindu Munnani leader and campaigner, began six months ago. The Hindu villagers of Pulavanoor village have protested the unlawful church’s construction on government land. They had even filed a police report, requesting that the church be prosecuted for illegal encroachment.
The police, however, did not take any action against the church because of the Church’s strong influence on the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, according to the Hindu activist.
He described the incident in detail, saying that car driver Chelladurai had recently built a house with a compound wall. Later, a church was constructed in that area. The church’s main entrance was just next to Chelladurai’s compound wall. The land belonged to Chelladurai, according to the revenue department records. As a result, Chelladurai constructed a structure out of hollow stones and covered it with a roof.
Another church was built near the left side of his house a few months later. The churchgoers objected to his house’s wall, claiming that it was obstructing the church gate, and demanded that he demolish the buildings immediately. Anticipating the church’s ulterior motives, Chelladurai began a signature campaign saying the church was erected on government land and a body of water.
Chelladurai and other residents filed a complaint against the church, urging them to demolish the unlawful church built on government land. The police, on the other hand, took no action against the church.
A mob broke into his house a month after the incident, destroying his auto parked outside before demolishing the compound. Glass window panes and other items were also shattered by the mob. Following the attacks on his family, Chelladurai filed a second complaint against the Church pastor and 15 other members, alleging that they vandalized his car, house, and compound wall, as well as threatening him with terrible repercussions.
After a storm of protests, the local police finally filed a report and began an investigation. So far, eight people have been detained and are out on bail in this case.”
The residents said that police officers demolished the compound wall without the village administrative officer present. They further said that after arresting Chelladurai, the police pulled down the remaining wall. Chelladurai was arrested for obstructing the officials’ work, according to the village police who arrived later.
Officials from the police department claim Chelladurai was arrested for disrupting their work. The few church officials who were involved in the incident have been released by the police.
(with inputs from OpIndia)
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