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Tension mounts on Kerala-TN border
Hundreds of people from Tamil Nadu, protesting against Kerala’s stand on the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, sneaked into Kerala territory in Kumily on Saturday defying prohibitory orders and attacked Malayalee homes in the border areas with stones and bottles amidst reports of extensive attacks on Keralites settled in the southwestern districts of Tamil Nadu.
At the same time, Kerala leaders criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s appeal to Malayalees on the Mullaperiyar issue, published in national newspapers through an advertisement. Stating that the structure at “Mullai Periyar” was as safe as a new dam, Jayalalithaa said vested interests were spreading stories about its weakness.
Tension prevailed in the Kumily area on Saturday evening as hundreds of protesters from Theni district of Tamil Nadu continued to struggle against the police near the inter-State border to barge into Kerala.
Heavy police posses were deployed on either side of the border as fear mounted about the possibility of the situation getting out of hand.
One person, Benny, was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries suffered in the attack of the intruding Tamil protesters who threw stones and bottles at Malayalee homes at Rosapoonkandam near the Kumily border. The Kerala Police took into custody three protesters responsible for the violence and later handed them over to the Tamil Nadu police.
About 4,000 protesters had started their march to the Kerala border Saturday noon from Kambam in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district. The Tamil Nadu police unsuccessfully tried to block them at Gudallur. They were again blocked at the Lower Camp but some of the them managed to sneak into the border through jungle routes.
About 400 persons who reached Kumily through the forest were blocked by Tamil Nadu police even as the Kerala Police fortified its security arrangements on the State’s side of the border. It was at this juncture that some of the protesters sneaked into Kerala and unleashed violence on Malayalee homes. Several houses were damaged in the attacks.
The tension prevailing in the area following the violence subsided a little towards late evening. The Idukki district collector, who visited the spot, extended the prohibitory orders clamped on the border areas of Kumily, Kambamettu and Bodimettu on Monday evening for three more days.
Inter-State road traffic through the Kumily check-post came to a standstill following the protesters’ arrival on the border. At the same time, reports from towns in south-western Tamil Nadu said protesters had been attacking Malayalee homes.
Kerala leaders criticised Jayalalithaa’s allegation in the newspaper advertisement that resort mafia was responsible for spreading panic about the alleged frailty of the dam. State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala termed the statement as absurd, adding that Jayalalithaa should not have tried to trivialise the Keralites’ struggle to protect their lives.
State Law and Finance Minister KM Mani, one of the strongest advocates for the demand for a new dam, said Jayalalithaa was free to write as many letters as she wanted but that would not deter Kerala from building a new dam in its territory to replace the old structure. “This will be done as the main concern before the Government is the safety of its people,” he said.
Meanwhile, low-intensity tremors measuring 2.0 on the Richter hit several areas in Idukki, where the dam was situated, and Kottayam districts causing escalation in panic. Kerala had intensified its demand for a new dam and lowering of the water level in the reservoir after several tremors with magnitudes between 2.1 and 3.4 on the Richter hit the area on November 18.
Hundreds of people from Tamil Nadu, protesting against Kerala’s stand on the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, sneaked into Kerala territory in Kumily on Saturday defying prohibitory orders and attacked Malayalee homes in the border areas with stones and bottles amidst reports of extensive attacks on Keralites settled in the southwestern districts of Tamil Nadu.
At the same time, Kerala leaders criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s appeal to Malayalees on the Mullaperiyar issue, published in national newspapers through an advertisement. Stating that the structure at “Mullai Periyar” was as safe as a new dam, Jayalalithaa said vested interests were spreading stories about its weakness.
Tension prevailed in the Kumily area on Saturday evening as hundreds of protesters from Theni district of Tamil Nadu continued to struggle against the police near the inter-State border to barge into Kerala.
Heavy police posses were deployed on either side of the border as fear mounted about the possibility of the situation getting out of hand.
One person, Benny, was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries suffered in the attack of the intruding Tamil protesters who threw stones and bottles at Malayalee homes at Rosapoonkandam near the Kumily border. The Kerala Police took into custody three protesters responsible for the violence and later handed them over to the Tamil Nadu police.
About 4,000 protesters had started their march to the Kerala border Saturday noon from Kambam in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district. The Tamil Nadu police unsuccessfully tried to block them at Gudallur. They were again blocked at the Lower Camp but some of the them managed to sneak into the border through jungle routes.
About 400 persons who reached Kumily through the forest were blocked by Tamil Nadu police even as the Kerala Police fortified its security arrangements on the State’s side of the border. It was at this juncture that some of the protesters sneaked into Kerala and unleashed violence on Malayalee homes. Several houses were damaged in the attacks.
The tension prevailing in the area following the violence subsided a little towards late evening. The Idukki district collector, who visited the spot, extended the prohibitory orders clamped on the border areas of Kumily, Kambamettu and Bodimettu on Monday evening for three more days.
Inter-State road traffic through the Kumily check-post came to a standstill following the protesters’ arrival on the border. At the same time, reports from towns in south-western Tamil Nadu said protesters had been attacking Malayalee homes.
Kerala leaders criticised Jayalalithaa’s allegation in the newspaper advertisement that resort mafia was responsible for spreading panic about the alleged frailty of the dam. State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala termed the statement as absurd, adding that Jayalalithaa should not have tried to trivialise the Keralites’ struggle to protect their lives.
State Law and Finance Minister KM Mani, one of the strongest advocates for the demand for a new dam, said Jayalalithaa was free to write as many letters as she wanted but that would not deter Kerala from building a new dam in its territory to replace the old structure. “This will be done as the main concern before the Government is the safety of its people,” he said.
Meanwhile, low-intensity tremors measuring 2.0 on the Richter hit several areas in Idukki, where the dam was situated, and Kottayam districts causing escalation in panic. Kerala had intensified its demand for a new dam and lowering of the water level in the reservoir after several tremors with magnitudes between 2.1 and 3.4 on the Richter hit the area on November 18.
