Amid the unrest in Tamil Nadu over fake claims of attacks against migrant workers in the state, the Coimbatore police on Monday, March 13, arrested four men including two from the Hindu Munnani for allegedly assaulting migrant workers. The four men were arrested and sent to judicial custody after they allegedly beat up workers near Mahaliamman temple on Edaiyar Street in Coimbatore on Sunday night. The accused, Surya Prakash, Prakash, Pragadeesh, and Velmurugan, have been booked under Sections 294 (b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.
Gowtham Siyamel Kattuva, in his complaint, said that he and his friends Thanmai Jana and Jakath were walking on the road when Surya Prakash and his friends used abusive language and beat up Gowtham and Thanmai. Gowtham works as a goldsmith and has been residing in Coimbatore for the last six years. He is a migrant worker from West Bengal.
Later, Gowtham learned that Surya Prakash and his friends were involved in a similar scuffle with two other migrant workers. The gang allegedly beat up Mono and Sheik Shavan, who are also migrant workers from West Bengal. On the same night, March 12, migrant workers from different states gathered in front of the Variety Hall Road police station and demanded police action against the four men. The police eventually asked the workers to disperse, and lodged a complaint against the four accused.
Coimbatore Police Commissioner V Balakrishnan said in a press meet that the men who got arrested were inebriated when they attacked the migrant workers from West Bengal. “Police registered a case immediately after receiving complaints from the victim. The perpetrators were arrested and sent to custody,” he said. The bikes used by the assailants were also seized.
Balakrishnan further stated that police have been in touch with migrant workers to assure their safety, besides conducting discussions with the migrant workers’ association. He also said that the police have issued cards with helpline numbers to the migrant workers, and urged workers to reach the police at 100 in case of need. He assured them that the control room has Hindi-speaking personnel to give assistance to the distressed migrant workers.
According to the Commissioner, Prakash is part of the Hindu Munnani organisation. He said the police have recovered data to support this claim. During the investigation, Prakash also reportedly said that he regularly attends meetings conducted by Hindu Munnani. Surya, another accused, also said that he, too, was a part of the organisation.
However, Hindu Munnani has refuted the claims. Demanding action against online news portal Simplicity Coimbatore, which published a story claiming that the attackers are Hindu Munnani workers, S Sathish, State Board Member of Hindu Munnani, said in a statement that the accused didn’t have any connection with the organisation and hold no posts.
The Hindu Munnani, which was founded in 1980 by RSS volunteer Ramagopalan, first shot to prominence for opposing conversions at Meenakshipuram in Tirunelveli district.