After violence broke out in parts of Coimbatore over the last few days, the District Collector has said that strict action will be taken against all those involved in the violence. In the backdrop of the arrests of Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders by the National Investigation agency (NIA) in Coimbatore, widespread instances of violence were reported in the city.
In a notification, Coimbatore District Collector Dr GS Sameeran said that no civilians were affected or injured during the violence, and that police are checking CCTV footage from establishments across the city to identify those involved in the protests. Further, Special Task Force officers and four Rapid Action Force battalions have been deployed in Coimbatore since September 23. The Collector also said that strict action will be taken against those sharing fake news regarding the protests or any posts that instigate violence on social media.
In the wake of violent incidents including vandalism and hurling of petrol bombs in Coimbatore and Erode, nearly 1,700 police personnel from 11 districts including Salem, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Madurai, and Ramnad were deployed in Coimbatore. On the morning of Friday, September 23, a petrol bomb was hurled at the shop of Mohan, a BJP district office bearer in Coimbatore. On the same day in Pollachi, vehicles belonging to BJP and Hindu Munnani members were set on fire. In Tiruppur district, stones were pelted at the factory of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary. A furniture shop owned by a former BJP functionary in Erode also came under attack. According to the police, miscreants threw packets filled with petrol and diesel at the shop owned by a former BJP youth wing district secretary at Moolapalayam in Erode. The fire damaged a portion of the shop.
A day later, on Saturday, September 24, police arrested two men affiliated with Hindu right-wing organisations for assaulting a Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) member. Padayappa and Nanda Prakash of the Bharat Sena organisation, along with Vignesh of the Hindu Munnani, had allegedly attacked 42-year-old Jabarullah, while he was on the way home on Friday. Both parties have filed a complaint against each other at the C4 Rathinapuri Police Station.