As two big ticket films — Petta and Viswasam hit the screens on Thursday — multiple instances of violence occurred in Tamil Nadu on the day the films released.
Two men from Kalinjur in Katpadi taluk, 20-year-old Prasanth and his 30-year-old uncle Ramesh, had gone to the Alankar Theatre in Vellore on Thursday to watch the 3.00 am special show for Ajith’s Viswasam. Fans were allowed to enter the theatre from 1.00 am onwards. Because of the huge crowd inside the theatre, there was a fight over seats being held for others.
Prasanth and Ramesh then got into a tussle with a local gang, which then escalated when they were both stabbed. Prashanth sustained grievous injuries, and has a gash on his head, and is being treated at the Adukkamparai Government Hospital in Vellore. Ramesh was stabbed on his hand.
The police detained 15 members of the local gang to identify who wielded the knife. Speaking to TNM, a police official from the South Police Station confirmed that a case under IPC section 307 (Attempt to murder) has been registered. “The incident occurred when fans started fighting for seats, and sat one on top of the other. We do not know who did it yet. Investigations are going on,” he said.
In another instance from Katpadi taluk, Pandian, a beedi worker from Dharapadavedu was set on fire allegedly by his son as he didn’t give him money for a special show of Viswasam. 20-year-old Ajith Kumar was enraged as he was denied money for the tickets of a special show, and poured petrol from his bike on Pandian’s face and set him on fire. The incident occurred when Pandian was asleep, around midnight. Pandian has reportedly sustained 40% burn injuries, and is presently being treated at Adukkamparai Government Hospital in Vellore. The Virudampattu Police have arrested Ajith.
At a screening of Petta, fans who gathered to celebrate at the Mahalakshmi Theatre in Gudiyatham, Vellore burst firecrackers, but the situation went awry when Saravanan, a man from Thalayatham in Gudiyatham, sustained minor injuries from the crackers that were being flung high in the air. Saravanan is being treated for his injuries at the Gudiyatham Government Hospital.
In Srinivasa Theatre in Thirukkoilur near Villupuram, a group of men climbed onto a cutout of Ajith to garland and spray milk on the cutout, but it came tumbling down. Three men were injured, and they were taken to a nearby government hospital.