A day after violent protests erupted at Ponnamaravathi in Pudukottai district over a video, the revenue officer imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 in and around the town on Friday. The order is in effect in 30 villages around Ponnamaravathi town apart from the town itself.   

Police said the trigger for the violence is a video that insulted women from the dominant Mutharayar community going viral over WhatsApp. Members of the community allegedly forced shops to down their shutters before indulging in vandalism.

“The men from the Mutharayar community, a dominant caste group in the regions surrounding Trichy and Pudukottai laid siege to the Ponnamaravathi police station on Thursday night. They also damaged a couple of vehicles,” said a police officer from the station.

The mob was then controlled after the police promised to trace the origin of the video and apprehend the people behind it within 24 hours. However, since there was no development on the matter as of Friday noon, the mob again took to the streets and forced shops to down their shutters. The men from the group also cut trees and put it across arterial roads to the town, so as to block access. Heavy police deployment was put in the region as the mob began to swell.

As hours went by, the police held another round of talks with the mob, which ended in failure. Following this, the mob allegedly began pelting stones at the police force. In retaliation, the police force also responded by allegedly pelting stones at the mob, leading to further unrest.  

The police meanwhile are still investigating the origin of the video and the persons behind it.