Tirunelveli: Despite the much hype created by Opposition parties the Rama Rajya Ratha Yatra of Sree Rama Dasa Mission Universal Society passed through Tirunelveli district peacefully on Tuesday.
Proceeding its journey on the 36th day morning on February 20 from Punalur in Kerala, the Rama Rajya Ratha Yatra entered Tamil Nadu at Kottavasal Karuppasamy temple point bordering the two states at around 9.20 am.
The Kerala state police, who accompanied the Ratha Yatra, entrusted the security responsibility with their Tamil Nadu counterparts at Kottavasal Karuppasamy temple point.
From there on the ratha yatra went on a procession through Puliyarai, Shengottai, Tenkasi, Kadayanallur, Sivagiri, Vasudevanallur in the western part of Tirunelveli district to reach Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar district at around 4.25 pm.
The Rama Rajya Ratha Yathra flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath is said to have five main objectives that include construction of Ram
temple at Ayodhya, exerting pressure on the central and the state governments of India to include lessons about Lord Ram in the syllabus and to declare Thursday as a weekly holiday instead of Sunday.
Around 900 police along with two companies of rapid action force
personnel was deployed along the procession path of Ratha Yatra under the direct supervision of Tirunelveli district police superintendent Dr Arun Sakthikumar
After reaching Rameswaram, the yatra on its return journey is to go through Thoothukudi, Tiruchendur in Thoothukudi district, Nanguneri, Valliyoor in Tirunelveli district to Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district from where it has been said to reach Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, where the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is to address the gathering on March 24.
254 persons arrested as preventive measure
Tirunelveli district police superintendent Dr Arun Sakthikumar told DC that around 254 people, including 12 women at Nanguneri, Valliyoor, Tenkasi, Alangulam and Puliyangudi were arrested as preventive measure in the district. Further, leaders of political and social outfits tried to stage block the procession path of the Ramarajya Rathayathra too were arrested. Kulathur Mani of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam and Ramakrishnan of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam along with five of their supporters were picked up by the police at Tenkasi.
Similarly, the police too prevented the Naam Thamilar Katchi cadres led by its founder leader Seeman and arrested them as they demonstrated against the Ratha Yatra at the Vanchinathan statue in Shengottai.
Moreover, leaders like Jawaharullah, state president of MNMK, Mydeen Sheik Khan, state deputy secretary of TMMK, and Tehlan Baqavi, state president of SDPI, too were arrested as by the police.
