TN police assault: Revenue officials question victims

Revenue officials today questioned victims of the alleged police assault on anti-liquor protesters in nearby Tirupur district last week, as part of their probe.
The district administration has identified 14 persons, including five women, and asked them to appear for an inquiry at Palladam Taluk office, police said.
The inquiry officer and Coimbatore district Superintendent of Police, Raya Bharati has already obtained the version of a woman, Easwari, who was allegedly slapped by the ADSP Pandiarajan, the video of which had gone viral.
The inquiry report on the entire incident is expected to be submitted to the higher authorities in a week, police said.

The incident had occurred in Shamalpuram, about 20 km from Tirupur on April 11, when a group of people, including women, blocked a road demanding closure of the TASMAC liquor outlet that was relocated to their locality consequent to the Supreme Court ban on sale of liquor within 500 metres of the highways.
As the protesters refused to disperse, Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police Pandiarajan slapped one of the women and pushed two others, asking them to move away from the road.
Protesting this, a section of the agitators allegedly pelted stones at the police, who then resorted to lathicharge to disperse them.

Police said three persons were injured in the melee with one of them being hospitalised.