On Friday, 23rd September 2016, the Bandh call by Hindu Munnani brought Coimbatore city to a total standstill. Incidents of arson and riots were reported from many parts of the city, even essential services and public transport were hit. The sudden bandh call left many anxious parents rush to the schools to pick up their children. There were also reports on confrontations between members of two communities in areas like Townhall, Kottaimedu, and Atthupalam. While dispersing them, some Police personnel have also suffered injuries.
In the morning, groups of men in two-wheelers were seen raiding different areas of the city, asking shops to pull down their shutters. During the funeral procession of their slain leader C. Sasikumar, PRO of the Coimbatore Unit of Hindu Munnani, some members of the outfit have indulged in shattering window panes of several shops en route. A police jeep was gutted in Thudiyalur and some worship places were also stoned.
Even towards late evening, roads which are always abuzz with a constant flow of traffic and movement of people like Oppanakara Street, D.B Road, and Cross Cut Road, bore a deserted look. Bachelors and visitors to the city were seen searching for eateries.
Today, the city seems to be limping back to normalcy, though fear of a continuation of violence and a communal backlash has kept many away from work. As per reports coming in, still in some areas agitators were seen asking shops to pull down their shutters. Police personnel have been clearing agitators from those areas. Assuring protection, they are asking shops to stay open. There are also unconfirmed reports, which say that opposing religious outfits have been asking people to observe closure today, in response to Hindu Munnani's bandh call yesterday. Coimbatore City Police Commissioner A Amalraj, who has been monitoring the security situation of the city said last evening that 50 men have been arrested so far and all others involved in the violence will soon be arrested.
The bandh was called following the brutal murder of C. Sasikumar, Spokesperson of the Hindu Munnani Coimbatore Unit. On Thursday around 11pm, when he was returning to his home at Subramaniyapalayam, a gang of four men have attacked him with sickles, near GN Mills bus stop, leaving him grievously hurt with multiple cut injuries. Though public rushed him to a private hospital, he died not responding to treatment.
Incidentally, the murder of C.Sasikumar follows a series of attacks on some Hindu activists. On Monday, in a similar incident, VHP's Krishnagiri Secretary R Suri was hacked to death by a three-member gang. While all three of them have surrendered before the Poochampalli sub-court, cause of the murder is yet to be ascertained. As per sources, an Intelligence Bureau official has held a discussion with Sasikumar a few days ago and the police department has assured him that he would be provided Personal Security Officers (PSO) soon, in lieu of threat perception to Hindu outfit leaders. Following the murder of C. Sasikumar, Coimbatore Rural SP Ramya Bharathi stated that six special teams have been formed to nab the culprits.
The murder of C. Sasikumar and the violence with which it was responded, both have hurt the peaceful environ of the city. If there has been a communal angle to the recent murders of Hindu activists, the Police department should not only take necessary action to arrest the murderers, but also take preventive measures to nab communally motivated killings.
On the other hand, rampaging of public and private property, targeting worship places and enforcing communal unrest in the society cannot be accepted as a justified means to seek justice for a slain leader. The police department and the political administration of the state should handle dissent and violence between opposing religious outfits, from the perspective of justice, without appeasing any group. Any effort to bring back communal violence to Coimbatore, in any form, by any religious group should not be allowed. We need peace and justice to prevail in the city, not violence and communal unrest.