A 49-year-old social activist was brutally assaulted by a gang at Kadaladi village near Kalasapakkam town in Tiruvannamalai on Saturday for stopping removal of silt from an irrigation tank in the area.
Police said the victim T. Jaganathan, a milk vendor, was involved in social and environmental activities in the village for many years. He also actively engaged himself against illegal sand mining in Thenpennai and Cheyyar rivers in the area.
Around 8 a.m on Saturday, a group of people led by S. Pachiappan (40), assaulted Jaganathan when the social activist halted an attempt to illegally mine silt from an irrigation tank in the village. The suspect Panchiappan was running a brick kiln in the village. As summer started, the brick kiln required a large amount of silt to run its operations.
Police said that due to the requirement of a large quantity of silt, which was against stipulated limits of the Department of Mines, Pachaiappan was arranging workers and tractors to remove silt from the tank when social activist Jaganathan stopped it.
Based on the alert, Kadaladi police reached the spot and rescued injured Jaganathan. Police also admitted the social activist at Government Taluk Hospital in Kadaladi where doctors said that his condition is stable.
Special police teams have been formed to arrest Pachaiappan, who is absconding. A case was registered. Meanwhile, residents have pasted posters in the village, demanding arrest of those responsible for the assault. A probe is underway.
Published – March 08, 2025 11:26 pm IST
