[1]Except for an incident of stone pelting at police by members of a Hindu outfit and subsequent police lathi charge at Tondiarpet, it was another peaceful Vinayaka immersion day in the city on Sunday.
Police had stepped up vigil during the Vinayaka immersion processions in the city on Sunday. Cops were anxious to ensure that the feelings worked up by the anti-Islam film did not spill over to any communal tension during the processions, which passed through some Muslim-dominated areas in various parts of the city.
The police resorted to lathi charge to disperse members of a Hindu outfit that squatted on III street at Nethaji Nagar in Tondiarpet on Sunday evening protesting the refusal to let them take Vinayaka procession through the particular street in the afternoon.
The members of Hindu outfit were angry because one or two stones fell on the Vinayaka they were carrynon,nod.
“A peace meeting between representatives of the two comunities is going on now,” the police said on Sunday night.
On Sunday the immersion of idols started in the morning and organizations like Hindu Munnani (Ramagopalan group), Hindu Makkal Katchi (Sridharan faction), Hindu Makkal Katchi (Arjun Sampath faction) and others took Vinayaka idols in processions from various places in and around Chennai to the designated immersion points at Foreshore Estate, Palkalai Nagar (Neelankarai), Fishing Harbour (Kasimedu), Thiruvottriyur, Ennore seashores.
Totally about 1450 big idols were immersed with the help of police who had made elaborate arrangement at the immersion points with cranes, life saving teams and medical teams.
The idols immersed included large numbers from Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur Districts.
Ramagopalan, a leader of Hindu Munnani, was arrested at Triplicane when he attempted to take out a procession in a prohibited route. He was released later.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/23pattinapakkamajpgcropdisplayjpg-939