Residents of a Samathuvapuram or equality village in Trichy district's Jeeyapuram woke up on Sunday to see a statue of Periyar within the premises doused in saffron paint. Residents immediately complained to the Ramjee Nagar police station which is investigating the incident.
"The incident has happened at close to 3.30 am but there are CCTVs in the area. So this means that we cannot immediately identify who is responsible. We are however conducting our enquiries," says an investigating officer.