A slipper was hurled at the car of Tamil Nadu Minister P Thiaga Rajan in Madurai by functionaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday, August 13.
The Tamil Nadu Finance Minister was coming back from the wreath-laying ceremony of army jawan Lakshmanan, who was killed in a terror attack on an Army camp in Jammu's Rajouri district on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR, Madurai Collector Anish Sekhar, Madurai Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth, Madurai Airport Director Baburaj, and Madurai police commissioner Senthil Kumar also paid tributes to him. On behalf of the BJP, state president Annamalai also paid tributes to him.
According to reports, BJP functionaries also wanted to be a part of the wreath-laying ceremony, but were stopped by officials, citing that it was a government event and only office holders were to be allowed.
While returning from the airport, BJP cadres shouted slogans and hurled a slipper on PTR's car. Visuals show the cadre surrounding the white car PTR was travelling in and raising slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ while banging the bonnet of PTR’s car.
Five BJP members have been arrested in connection with the incident.
The mortal remains of the deceased soldier were brought to Madurai from Hyderabad on Saturday morning. A resident of Pudupatti, near Thirumangalam in Madurai, Lakshmanan was the twin son of Dharmaraj and Aandal. Lakshman, a B.Com graduate, had joined the army in 2019.
Lieutenant Colonel Sathyaprabhath and 48 army men from the Chennai regiment also paid tributes to the soldier. His last rites will be conducted in Pudupatti.
Rifleman Lakshmanan and two others – Subedar Rajendra Prasad (of Maligoven village in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district), and Rifleman Manoj Kumar (of Shahjahanpur village in Haryana's Faridabad), were killed in a terrorist attack in Rajouri on Thursday.
Jammu PRO (defence) Lt Col Devender Anand said that two terrorists lobbed grenades while attempting to gain entry inside the post.
He added that in the ensuing gunfight, the two terrorists were neutralised. “Six soldiers of the Indian Army were injured in the operation and of them, three bravehearts succumbed to injuries while repulsing the suicide attack,” he said.
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