More BJP, RSS offices come under petrol bomb attacks in Tamil Nadu; police take further action on PFI cadres

Chennai: A series of petrol bomb attacks targeting the houses of the BJP workers was reported from several places in Tamil Nadu.

Most recently on Sunday an Omni bus of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary came under attack.

The bus was plying between Thiruchendur to Coimbatore when a petrol bomb was hurled at it from the top of a bridge at Thoothukudi.

The bomb fell short of hitting the bus instead falling on the road causing no damage, according to India Today.

The latest attack follows similar incidents in Erode, Salem, Coimbatore, Thiruppur, Ramanathapuram and Madurai.

Vadapagam police has initiated an investigation in the attack.

Just the other day, reports of miscreants hurling petrol bombs emerged from Kanyakumari and Salem.

A CCTV footage recorded at around midnight, reportedly, showed an assailant lighting two petrol bombs before throwing them at the residence of the BJP worker Kalyanasundaram in Karumankudal. The man escaped on a bike with another suspect.

The petrol bombs caused no damage after it fell down hitting the grill of the window.

In a similar incident in Salem, RSS functionary Rajan's residence was attacked by miscreants in the wee hours of Sunday.

Two bike-borne men threw lighted petrol bomb at Rajan's residence, causing no damage as the flame died out.

Police have provided extra security to the BJP and RSS functionaries in the district.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Police continued its crackdown against the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) cadres on Monday over alleged Molotiv cocktail attacks attributed to the outfits.

Director General of Police (DGP) C.Sylendrakumar had earlier directed the district police chiefs and commissioners to take stringent action against those disrupting peace.

The police on Sunday arrested several persons, including Syed Ali (42) who is the SDPI, Salem district president and K Khadeer Hussain, ward president of SDPI in Salem, in connection with the attack on the residence of RSS Salem town functionary, V.K. Rajan's residence with petrol bomb.

In Erode, Sadam Hussain, Khalil Rahman, A. Jaffar, and A. Ashik were arrested.

The police were also conducting raids at several residences of people connected with the organisations.

Meanwhile, BJP state president K. Annamalai said that the Tamil Nadu Police's hands were tied for the past 15 months and that it was at its peak. He said that the party will not be cowed down by the cowardly acts of Molotov cocktail attacks.

The BJP state president also said that the party has constituted four fact-finding teams to report on the damage caused to the residences/shops and offices of party workers and that a report would be submitted to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah after getting the feedback from the committees.