Chennai, April 8: In the latest in a series of incidents of vandalism, a statue of E. V. Ramasamy who is also known as Periyar, near Aranthangi in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district, was found vandalized on Monday. Periyar is a revered personality in Tamil Nadu, and this particular statue was near Aranthangi in Pudukkottai district. Police have launched a probe into the matter. Reports inform that Police have started an investigation into the matter to nab the culprits.
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This is not the first time that Periyar's statue has come under attack. In March 2018, a similar incident was reported from Tamil Nadu's Vellore district where Periyar's statue was allegedly vandalized. Police claimed that the incident was perpetrated by two drunken men. Two men, who were allegedly drunk, damaged the glasses and the nose of the statue. Both were arrested. In an earlier incident, On the occasion of Dravidian icon E V Ramasamy’s 139th birth anniversary, a man hurled a shoe at the rationalist’s statue in Chennai.
Ramasamy is a Dravidian icon in Tamil Nadu who heralded the self-respect movement. A staunch atheist, he had often questioned then prevailing social and religious customs, drawing the ire of a section of the society. In September last year, Periyar was found to be vandalized in Tamil Nadu's Tirupur. Residents of Tirupur, who were celebrating the 140th birthday of Periyar and had plans to garland to the statue, were in an utter shock to see Periyar statue vandalized. also read:Hyderabad Police nabbed two Africans with 25g Cocaine