One arrested for desecrating Periyar statue

One person was arrested here for desecrating the statute of rationalist leader E.V. Ramasamy also known as Periyar, whose 140th birth anniversary fell on Monday, police said.

According to the police, Jagadeesan, an advocate who was riding a two-wheeler, threw a shoe at the statue located on the arterial Anna Salai here.

Members of the VCK party caught Jagadeesan and the police arrested him.

Similarly, Ramasamy's statue at Dharapuram in Tiruppur district was desecrated by unknown persons who kept a pair of footwear on it. The police are searching for the culprit.

Leaders of different political parties have condemned the desecration of Ramasamy's statute.

In March, two persons - one of them R. Muthuraman, a BJP member - were arrested in Thirupattur in Vellore district for vandalizing a statue of Periyar, who is considered the father figure of the rationalist movement in Tamil Nadu.