Govt nameboards in Tamil on Karnataka border vandalised by group 'claiming' TN's Thalavadi

Sign and name boards of theTamil Nadu government in Tamil and English on the state'sborder with Karnataka were allegedly damaged by a fringe groupfrom the neighbouring state for the second time in ten days,police said here on Monday.

The group claimed that Thalavadi in Tamil Nadu's Erodedistrict 'belonged' to Karnataka.

The incidents come against the backdrop of a row betweenMaharashtra and Karnataka over some border areas whereMarathi speaking people live predominantly.

Following the back to back incidents and a call forprotest against it by Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, armedpolice personnel have been deployed at (Thalavadi taluk, Erodedistrict) Tamil Nadu's border with Karnataka (Chamarajanagardistrict), they said.

Such incidents have been brought to the notice of policein Karnataka, they added.

On Sunday, sign and name boards, including one by ErodeDistrict Panchayat, were damaged by unknown miscreants,Thalavadi police said, adding they inspected the spot andposted adequate number of armed policemen to avert suchincidents in future.

Such boards inform people about the beginning of thelimits of Tamil Nadu state and under which division orsub-division of the TN Highways Department the locality falls.

Also, they either 'welcome' or say 'thanks' to people forvisiting Erode district of Tamil Nadu, ubiquitous in borderregions.

On January 10, about 20 people led by Vattal Nagaraj,leader of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, entered Tamil Nadu'sRamapura in Thalavadi police limits and some from among themallegedly dismantled and threw away nameboards of districtpanchayat and the highways department, police said.

The men, damaging the signboards in Tamil, raised sloganslike 'Don't need Tamil', ''We want only Kannada name plates inKarnataka', ''Victory to Kannada Chalavali Vatal Party'.

A video clip on their vandalism has been widely shared insocial media.

Speaking to Karnataka reporters in front of the Tamilboards then, Nagaraj said ''Thalavadi is a Kannada land'' andrecalled that he launched a protest in 1969, seeking to annexThalavadi with Karnataka.

He and many leaders from Chamarajangar marched from thattown and protested at Yallekatte. They were arrested andlodged at the Gopichettipalayam jail in Tamil Nadu andreleased three days later, Nagaraj said.

''Karunanidhi was the Tamil Nadu chief minister whileVeerendra Patil was Chief Minister of Karnataka,'' he said.

Protesting against Tamil boards in Thalavadi,Nagaraj saidauthorities should not put them up and must come up withKannada boards. ''There is not a single word written inKannada,'' he said.

Following the incidents, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchisaid here that they would stage a protest against thevandalism by the group and their claim to Thalavadi.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's statementon Sunday that his government is committed towardsincorporating into the state, areas of Karnataka where Marathispeaking people are in a majority triggered strong reactionsin the Kannada speaking state.

Protests erupted in parts of Karnataka and ChiefMinister B S Yediyurappa ruled out parting with ''even an inchof land'' from Karnataka to Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)