Police begins probe after two unidentified persons hurl bottles filled with petrol at a cinema house in Melapalayam; Hindu Munnani volunteers held in Tirunelveli

In a daring incident, two persons were seen hurling bottles filled with explosive substance at a cinema house in Melapalayam in Tirunelveli city in the early hours of Saturday.

A video-grab of the incident, which went viral in social media, made the police swing into action from as early as 5 a.m.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the cinema house had screened the Tamil film - Amaran - and the incident could have been the handiwork of some anti-social elements. The Melapalayam Police have registered a case and inquiry was under way. “We were able to spot two persons in the video. Three bottles filled with a petrol-like substance were hurled at the compound wall of the cinema house and there was no damage,” an officer said.

Meanwhile, security was stepped up in the area as a precautionary measure and a large posse of police personnel led by DCP Vijaykumar inspected the security arrangements.

The theatre cancelled two shows for the police to conduct investigation and the public were informed to collect the money, the theatre manager said.

Last week, the SDPI cadres had staged a demonstration in Tirunelveli condemning the movie and its director for portraying the minorities in a bad light. They demanded the Censor Board to withdraw certain frames and dialogues.

Hindu Munnani volunteers held

Meanwhile, the Hindu Munnani, led by its State vice-president V. P. Jayakumar, state secretary Kutralanathan, district secretary Brahmanayagam and others came there to express their solidarity with the cinema house owner. However, when the police stopped them an argument broke out and this led to the arrest of nine cadres.

Published - November 16, 2024 05:49 pm IST