Three including social activist held for assault in Palaverkadu

The Thirupalaivanam police in Tiruvallur district have arrested three persons, including a social activist, for assaulting each other over a dispute in Pazhaverkadu.

The social activist has been identified as M. Rajkamal, who is also a member of the VCK and was previously with CPI(M). He also frequently used the Right to Information (RTI) Act to expose corruption. Last May, he exposed certain irregularities in sanctioning loans under the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) scheme to the beneficiaries in Pazhaverkadu village from the Panapakkam-Kolur Primary Cooperative Society and pointed out that certain people were denied their due amount.

“His act prompted the village heads of fishing hamlets to convene a meeting of fishermen last May and ordered Rajkamal to tender an apology by kneeling down to the villagers. He refused to do so and came out of the meeting. Since then, he was facing the ire of the fishing villagers. Now, he was falsely implicated in a criminal case and arrested,” says S. Dhivya, wife of Rajkamal.

Meanwhile police said Rajkamal’s father Murugan took his boat for a night ride which is not permitted in Palaverkadu. The villagers, including his relatives, opposed his act and lodged a complaint with police. Following this, Murugan was summoned to the police station and he gave undertaking that he would not use his boat for the night ride. Humiliated over this, Rajkamal went to the wharf and took pictures of boats of others which irked the villagers, including his uncle Kambar, 50. A scuffle ensued between them. In retaliation, Kambar and other villagers came to Rajkamal’s house and vandalised it on Sunday.

Police said: “ We have received complaints and counter complaints from both sides- Rajkamal on one side and Kambar on other side. Rajkamal, 34, his brother Vishnu, 29, were arrested, based on the complaint from Kambar while Kambar was also arrested based on a complaint given by Rajkamal.”