CUDDALORE:
The police have booked cases against Thoppu K.Sundar (40), Chidambaram town secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and a group of his supporters on charges of assaulting a traffic constable.
Traffic constable Ravanan (36) has been admitted to Chidambaram government hospital. In this connection, the police have secured two persons - Purushothaman, an anti-social element, and Sudhakar, a car driver. The Chidambaram police are on the lookout for others, including Sundar, Suresh Babu, Arul, Sivakumar and some others. Police sources said that on Wednesday morning, Mr. Ravanan was posted at the Pachaiyappa school road junction to regulate traffic when he noticed two cars cruising through Sabanayakar Street, unmindful of the stretch being a one-way.
Sundar and his supporters were travelling in one of the cars. It was followed by another car, in which Kumaratchi union AIADMK secretary A.K. Pandian and his followers were travelling. When Mr. Ravanan signalled the cars to stop, they did not oblige. When he tapped on the bonnet of one of the cars as it passed by, the AIADMK functionaries stopped the vehicle and picked up a quarrel with him. However, Mr. Ravanan said that he would not allow the vehicles to pass through the wrong side of the one- way. The irate AIADMK men forcefully opened the car door, pushing down Mr. Ravanan, who standing close to the vehicle. They assaulted him and sped away.
Based on a complaint from Mr. Ravanan, the Chidambaram police booked cases on the AIADMK men under the following sections:
Sections 307 (attempt to murder),
506 (2) (criminal intimidation),
353 (deterring a government servant from discharging duty),
332 (causing hurt), 147 (rioting) and
294 (indulging in obscene act) of Indian Penal Code.
Later, Superintendent of Police P.Pakalavan called on the constable at the hospital.
