Chennai: A day after the assault of ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy, an 83-year-old social activist, at Marina, activists have urged the police to initiate action against the persons who committed the crime. Angered over Ramaswamy’s move to bring down AIADMK banners erected outside the MGR memorial on Marina beach, party cadres attacked him in the presence of police. A slipper was also thrown at him.
The incident took place when Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy CM O. Panneerselvam, ministers, MPs and other party office-bearers were laying the foundation stone for the construction of a memorial for former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Marina beach on Monday.
Ramaswamy has been spearheading a movement to end the menace of banners in the state. Following his sustained war against the banners and hoardings, Madras HC had banned banners. He also filed several PILs before the HC. However, despite court orders, illegal hoardings and banners continue to come up across the state.
In November 2017, a techie, Ragupathy Kandasamy, who came back home Coimbatore from the US to meet a prospective bride, was killed in an accident caused after his bike hit an illegal hoarding set up on the occasion MGR’s centenary celebrations in Coimbatore. On Monday morning, Ramaswamy reached the MGR Memorial and opposed banners welcoming CM and others for the stone laying ceremony.
The party cadres assaulted him in the presence of cops but the police remained a mute spectator to the crime, activist Arani C. Srinivasan told DC.
