Two arrested for assaulting police officer during road protest near Vadamadurai

Two individuals were arrested on Friday night for allegedly abusing and assaulting a police constable during a violent protest near Vadamadurai in Tiruvallur district. The demonstration was sparked by a delay in transporting the body of a road accident victim to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination.

The victim of the road accident was identified as 40-year-old Kalaiyarasan, a daily-wage labourer residing in Periyar Nagar within the Vadamadurai panchayat. According to the police, Kalaiyarasan was riding his motorcycle near a private college on Friday night when it was struck by a truck. He died from his injuries and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Following the collision, an ambulance arrived at the scene, and the medical crew confirmed that Kalaiyarasan had died. However, the ambulance crew explained that they were not authorised to transport a corpse. They informed the police that a hearse had to be summoned to transport the body to the government hospital in Tiruvallur for the post-mortem.

Local residents grew increasingly angry when the hearse failed to arrive for more than an hour. In response to the delay, the residents staged a road blockade to demand immediate action.

During the protest, a heated argument broke out between the local residents and the police personnel who had arrived at the scene. The situation escalated when some of the protesters began to abuse and shove police constable Arun Kumar, who is attached to the Periyapalayam police station. The assault caused Constable Arun Kumar to lose consciousness.

To bring the situation under control, the police dispersed the protesting crowd using a mild lathi charge. Following the altercation, the Periyapalayam police arrested two persons on charges of abusing and assaulting the police during the protest.