Four men on Tuesday night attacked a defence engine factory examiner of Avadi who had protested the encroachment of 15 acres of land on the Iyan lake bed.
“I was returning home from the market with articles to celebrate Onam on Tuesday night when I was attacked,” Mr Jagannathan told this newspaper on Thursday from the hospital bed.
He said that he and his friend Mr A. Raghavankutty, a central government clerk, continued to receive threat calls after Revenue officials retrieved 15 acres of land on the Iyan lake bed, worth approximately Rs 60 crore, based on efforts by the two.
“We believe that the entire stretch of land was encroached by certain politicians with the help of an employee of the Avadi municipality.
On Tuesday, officials along with police and three earth movers, levelled the land and retrieved the entire stretch encroached by the local politicians,” said Mr Raghavankutty.
However, within hours of the land being retrieved, Mr Jagannathan was assaulted. “Some people who dance to the tunes of local politicians had attacked Jagannathan. We have given the names to the police.
But they are advising us to sort it out by holding talks with the attackers,” said Mr Raghavankutty.
“We have received a complaint from R.N. Jagannathan from Thirumalaivasan Nagar about the assault. We are looking into it,” a Thirumullavoyil police source said on Thursday.
According to the local residents, the encroachment had started three and half years ago. “Though the land was retrieved, authorities seem to be taking no action against the encroachers,” another resident said.