Following an attack on a Hindu Munnani leader, S Ramakrishnan, on Saturday, Coimbatore and surrounding areas remained tense. While Ramakrishnan remains critical, police are on the lookout for the unidentified assailants.
Ramakrishnan, who is also the Ukkadam unit vice-president, was attacked by two unidentified men. Ramakrishnan, a 36-year-old catering worker, was waylaid while he was returning home and hit on the head with an iron rod causing grave injuries. The two motorcycle borne assailants escaped after local people rushed to the spot.
Ramakrishnan, who has been admitted at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, is still not out of danger.
Hindu Munnai activists led by Gadeswara Subramaniam have laid siege to the Coimbatore district collectorate demanding the arrest of the accused within two days and exposing the conspiracy behind the attack on Ramakrishnan. There have been some issues between Hindu Munnani workers and certain Islamist groups in Coimbatore and the Ukkadam area.
BJP women's wing national president and the party's Coimbatore South candidate Vanathi Srinivasan visited Ramakrishnan at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. Speaking to media persons outside the hospital, Vanathi said, "The police must arrest those responsible for the attack immediately and justice must be delivered. The law and order situation has to be maintained, strict police vigil is the need of the hour to prevent any further escalation of the issue."
உக்கடம் இந்து முன்னணி பொறுப்பாளர் தம்பி இராமகிருஷ்ணன் நேற்றிரவு மர்மநபர்களால் தாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார்.
— Office of Vanathi Srinivasan (@OfficeofVanathi) April 11, 2021
கோட்டைமேடு பகுதியில் கடுமையான தேர்தல் பணி செய்த இவரின் மீதான தாக்குதல் பதற்றத்தை உருவாக்கும்.@policecbecity வேகமான நடவடிக்கை தேவை.@CMOTamilNadu pic.twitter.com/iBu7n3i0qI
Coimbatore had witnessed a series of bomb blasts on February 14, 1998 in which 56 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. The first blast had gone off hardly 100 meters from the venue where then Deputy Prime Minister and BJP leader LK Advani was to address the people. This was followed by 11 more blasts within a radius of 12 km.
(With inputs from IANS)