MADURAI: Tension mounted along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border down south for the third consecutive day on Monday with an estimated 20,000 villagers spontaneously marching towards the Mullaiperiyar dam breaching police barricades, demanding that all entry points to the neighbouring State be blocked.Realising that allowing genuine emotions to guide the actions of the people could lead to an inter-State law and order problem involving pitched battles by crowds on both sides of the border, the Tamil Nadu police chose to rein in surging crowds using “minimal force”. The police did not want to take chances as, on Sunday itself, the crowd was allowed to go dangerously close to the Kumili border.On Monday, at some points, the crowd turned violent and targeted the police. Around 10 buses and some police vehicles were damaged and 10 policemen, including Deputy Inspector General of Police (Tiruchi Range) Amalraj, sustained injuries. This warranted a lathicharge in which some protestors were injured.Additional DGP (Law and Order) S George constantly monitored the security arrangements camping in Madurai. Three Deputy Inspector Generals of Police and eight Superintendents of Police have also been camping in the border areas to maintain peace, while the south zone IG Rajesh Das is supervising the arrangements.Since early morning, police teams have been holding talks with villagers urging them not to move towards Kerala border. However, villagers, whose livelihood depend on the water from the Mullaiperiyar Dam, poured out on the main roads of Chinnamanur, Uthamapalayam, Kumbum, Gudular and Lower Camp areas in thousands.The police have put in place a three-tier security layer near Kuruvan spring to prevent the villagers from proceeding towards the Kumili checkpost.On learning about this, thousands of villagers marched towards Cumbum Mettu, an alternative entry route to Kerala. A strong police contingent intervened and tried to rein in the crowd. Some of the protestors threw missiles at them and tried to proceed through the forest areas, prompting the police to act.“The situation is under control. We have deployed adequate police forces in the region to maintain peace,” ADGP George said. Meanwhile, South Zone IGP Rajesh Das, along with Theni Collector K S Palanisamy, held peace talks with the people and appealed to them to be restrained. Similarly in Kombai-Ramakkalmedu, the police prevented thousands of protesters from marching ahead.Protesters burnt Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in effigy at several places and blocked the Uthamapalayam-Kumili Road using tree branches, stones and burnt tyres. All commercial establishments remained closed.At PC Patti near Theni, members of All India Forward Bloc, locked the office of the local Congress MP J M Haroon Rashid. The villagers also protested near the MP’s house at Kombai.In Kerala, protesters damaged a petrol bunk owned by DMK MLA Cumbum Ramakrishnan on Sunday. Considering that police has been deployed round the clock for the past week, ADGP has instructed officers to arrange proper accommodation and food for them.
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