Govt bus set ablaze with passengers inside
Elderly Man, Wife Among Three Injured
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madurai/Coimbatore: 26.05.2018
A group of men torched a TNSTC bus in Tuticorin on Friday evening, even before all the passengers could climb down, leaving three with burns.
The police identified the injured as Sudalaikannu, 70, and his wife Valliammal of Meignanapuram and Jabakumar, 25, of Karaikudi, adding that Valliammal had suffered serious burns.
The incident occurred during the statewide bandh called by opposition parties to protest against Tuesday’s police firing during the anti-Sterlite protests and the arsonists are suspected to be members of groups or parties supporting the bandh.
The bus was on its way to Tirunelveli from Udankudi when three men on two bikes forced the driver to pull over to the side at Karungulam bridge near Srivaikundam. After attacking and chasing away the lone policeman on guard there, the trio stormed into the bouse, emptied a can of petrol over the rear seat and set a match to it even before all the 49 passengers had got down.
In Coimbatore, the bandh was near total with almost 80% of shops and commercial establishments downing shutters in the district. But for essential services like pharmacies, even small eateries and hotels remained closed till evening. While government buses plied as usual, a section of private buses and majority of autorickshaws, whose drivers are affiliated to trade unions led by some of the opposition parties, kept off the roads. Government offices, however, functioned as usual though the number of public visiting them was low. There were sporadic protests mostly by DMK workers condemning the arrest of working president MK Stalin in Chennai. Advocates boycotted the courts for the second day while farmers stayed away from the monthly grievances redressal day meeting at the collectorate. Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Vasan, who was in Coimbatore, told reporters that shutting down the Sterlite copper smelter plant in Tuticorin was the only solution to quell the protests. “Rather than approaching the issue with a political perspective, the government should handle it with a humanitarian perspective. The plant should be immediately shutdown and the arrested protesters released,” he said.
In Madurai, the respose was lukewarm with a majority of shop owners and commuters going about their business as usual. About 90% of the shops remained open. A modicum of support was seen in the rural pockets of the district as 20% of the shops downed shutters. As public transport services were not affected seriously, people faced no trouble in reaching their workplace.
Net connection restored
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Friday cancelled its order blocking internet services in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts. As for Tuticorin, a decision would be taken later depending on the situation. The decision to resume internet services in the neighbouring districts was taken after the situation turned normal in the wake of violence and police firing in Tuticorin. “The government decides to rescind the internet blockade in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts following a report from the director general of police on the situation improving in these two districts,” said a communique from home secretary Niranjan Mardi to DGP, IG-intelligence and DDG, Term Cell, Tamil Nadu circle. The order said the government had to block the services to prevent further violence. TNN
REDUCED TO ASHES: The bus had 49 passengers when it was set afire
Elderly Man, Wife Among Three Injured
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madurai/Coimbatore: 26.05.2018
A group of men torched a TNSTC bus in Tuticorin on Friday evening, even before all the passengers could climb down, leaving three with burns.
The police identified the injured as Sudalaikannu, 70, and his wife Valliammal of Meignanapuram and Jabakumar, 25, of Karaikudi, adding that Valliammal had suffered serious burns.
The incident occurred during the statewide bandh called by opposition parties to protest against Tuesday’s police firing during the anti-Sterlite protests and the arsonists are suspected to be members of groups or parties supporting the bandh.
The bus was on its way to Tirunelveli from Udankudi when three men on two bikes forced the driver to pull over to the side at Karungulam bridge near Srivaikundam. After attacking and chasing away the lone policeman on guard there, the trio stormed into the bouse, emptied a can of petrol over the rear seat and set a match to it even before all the 49 passengers had got down.
In Coimbatore, the bandh was near total with almost 80% of shops and commercial establishments downing shutters in the district. But for essential services like pharmacies, even small eateries and hotels remained closed till evening. While government buses plied as usual, a section of private buses and majority of autorickshaws, whose drivers are affiliated to trade unions led by some of the opposition parties, kept off the roads. Government offices, however, functioned as usual though the number of public visiting them was low. There were sporadic protests mostly by DMK workers condemning the arrest of working president MK Stalin in Chennai. Advocates boycotted the courts for the second day while farmers stayed away from the monthly grievances redressal day meeting at the collectorate. Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Vasan, who was in Coimbatore, told reporters that shutting down the Sterlite copper smelter plant in Tuticorin was the only solution to quell the protests. “Rather than approaching the issue with a political perspective, the government should handle it with a humanitarian perspective. The plant should be immediately shutdown and the arrested protesters released,” he said.
In Madurai, the respose was lukewarm with a majority of shop owners and commuters going about their business as usual. About 90% of the shops remained open. A modicum of support was seen in the rural pockets of the district as 20% of the shops downed shutters. As public transport services were not affected seriously, people faced no trouble in reaching their workplace.
Net connection restored
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Friday cancelled its order blocking internet services in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts. As for Tuticorin, a decision would be taken later depending on the situation. The decision to resume internet services in the neighbouring districts was taken after the situation turned normal in the wake of violence and police firing in Tuticorin. “The government decides to rescind the internet blockade in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts following a report from the director general of police on the situation improving in these two districts,” said a communique from home secretary Niranjan Mardi to DGP, IG-intelligence and DDG, Term Cell, Tamil Nadu circle. The order said the government had to block the services to prevent further violence. TNN
REDUCED TO ASHES: The bus had 49 passengers when it was set afire
