Coimbatore: An incident where saffron paint was painted on the Periyar statue in Sundarapuram area of Coimbatore by unidentified miscreants last night has caused a stir in the area.
Coimbatore: An incident where saffron paint was painted on the Periyar statue in Sundarapuram area of Coimbatore by unidentified miscreants last night has caused a stir in the area.

Various protests erupted across Tamil Nadu demanding action against YouTube channel 'Karuppar Kootam' for posting a video on a their channel denigrating the Kanda Sashti Kavasam. Even many of the Dravidian party supporters had denounced this group on social media websites. BJP announced their protest by worshipping Lord Murugan in their homes and scores of their supporters prayed and expressed their displeasure against the channel.
This was followed by clashes between Periyar supporters and RSS supporters on social media. In this situation, an incident of painting saffron on the Periyar statue in Coimbatore has stirred the issue further.
This statue of 'Periyar' is located near Sundarapuram on the road to Pollachi. It is one of the three main statues installed in Coimbatore in the year 1995.
It is customary for various protests and various Periyar related programs to take place near this statue, which was unveiled by the Dravida Kazhagam leadership.
Once word of this issue got around, Periyar supporters gathered in the Sundarapuram area this morning, causing a stir. Following this, various organizations including Dravidar Kazhagam, DMK, MDMK and Viduthalai Siruthalaigal chanted slogans demanding the immediate arrest of the person who painted the Periyar statue.
The Periyar volunteers also warned that wherever such an unfortunate incident took place in Tamil Nadu, a struggle would erupt in the area and a large-scale struggle would be launched across Tamil Nadu. They then disbanded after negotiations with the police led by the Kuniyamuthur police inspector.

Right-wingers have taken strong offence to Periyar supporting websites and channels who they say continue to post a variety of offensive comments.