Alangulam police have registered a case against three unidentified policemen after a palmyrah climber was shot in his legs on Tuesday.
When a police team, led by Alangulam Sub-Inspector Esakki Raja, conducted a surprise check in a palmyrah grove at Marudhampuththur on Tuesday, it found P. Manikandan from the village tapping toddy.
When Manikandan was being grilled by the police, he allegedly attacked Mr. Esakki Raja, who shot him in the legs with his service pistol. As Mr. Esakki Raja was also injured in the attack, they were admitted to Tenkasi GH for treatment.
Condemning the police firing at Manikandan, a large number of people gathered near Alangulam bus stand on Tuesday night and staged a demonstration demanding action against Mr. Esakki Raja and other policemen “who shot at Manikandan without any provocation”.
Manikandan’s niece Pratibha said the police personnel in plainclothes forcibly took Manikandan from his house to the palmyrah grove on Tuesday and compelled him to climb a tree. When he refused, Esakki Raja and other policemen assaulted and verbally abused him. Unable to bear with the abuses, Manikandan climbed the tree.
