Tamil Nadu Roundup

Accused in Dinakaran case acquitted

Seventeen people accused of setting fire to the office of Dinakaran newspaper in 2007 in which three employees died were acquitted by a court in Madurai last week.
The attack was sparked by a survey conducted by the newspaper owned by Sun TV network’s Kalanidhi Maran, the grand nephew of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. The survey gave higher ratings to Karunanidhi’s son M K Stalin that angered his other son Azhagiri in Madurai.
Azhagiri’s supporters attacked Dinakaran’s offices and unleashed violence in Madurai and adjacent districts. Two computer engineers and the building’s watchman were killed and many were injured.
Seventeen people went on trial but were acquitted by the district and sessions court.
The survey and the attack caused a rift in Karunanidhi’s family and Kalanidhi’s younger brother Dayanidhi was forced to resign as minister in the federal cabinet. His uncles launched cable networks to rival Sun TV and disowned them publicly. However the ‘first family’ patched up in 2008 and worked together to win the May 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Man killed, two hurt as temple fresco falls

A 76-year-old man died and two others were injured when a cement fresco fell at the Sangameswarar temple in Bhavani in Erode district last week.
Police said the victims were praying when the fresco shaped like a lotus fell on them.
Temple authorities admitted that the recently pasted fresco had not been sealed properly and have asked its construction firm to investigate.
In another incident, an eight-year-old girl was killed and 14 were injured when their van collided with another vehicle while going to Kerala’s Sabarimala temple in Dharmapuri, about 200km from Chennai.

Kidnapped coast guards freed after negotiations

Two members of the coast guards who were allegedly kidnapped by Sri Lankan fishermen off the Chennai coast were freed after two days of negotiations last week.
The incident occurred when a patrol of the coast guards seized seven Sri Lankan fishing boats trespassing into Indian waters last week. Two coast guards took control of each boat and the Indian patrol boat steered the convoy towards Chennai. However one of the boats with five fishermen and two guards broke free and escaped.
Meanwhile the seized boats with 35 Sri Lankan fishermen were sent to Vishakapatnam in eastern Andhra Pradesh for judicial action.

Bus hijacked, passengers looted in Ponneri

A six-member gang hijacked a Thanjavur-bound government bus and looted the passengers at Meensuruti near Ponneri last week.
Police said four masked men in an SUV intercepted the bus. Their two accomplices were already inside the bus. They forced the driver to stop the bus at a deserted spot and took away cell phones, wallets and jewels from the passengers. They also blocked the two doors of the bus and beat up a policeman who tried to confront them.
After 15 minutes, the gang escaped in the SUV and the passengers alerted the police.
Police have arrested a girl travelling in the bus who is suspected to be friendly with the gang.