Butcher withdraws plea after cops permit fast

MADURAI: A butcher from Paramakudi withdrew his petition filed in the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court against Ramanathapuram police, after they gave him permission to hold a fast against ministerial staff of Handloom Minister S Sundararaj in connection with the disappearance of the petitioner’s goats.The butcher, A Illamparuthi, in his petition, alleged that the ministerial staff had over the past year slaughtered 26 goats which had strayed into the minister’s premises in Paramakudi for grazing.During one such occasion, when he had gone in search of a missing goat, the minister’s Personal Assistant Sivanandham had allegedly claimed that the goat had already landed on the dining table. Later, when Illamparuthi along with members of the Gokula Yadavar Sangam took up the matter with Sundararaj, the latter had allegedly instructed the Paramakudi Town Police Inspector to register cases against the petitioner and his friends. The petitioner claimed that the police obliged the minister and registered cases against them. Since the police did not give him permission to observe a fast against the minister and his staff, Illamparuthi moved the court. On Wednesday, when the matter came up for hearing before Justice K K Sasidharan, his counsel withdrew the petition stating that the police had granted permission to hold the fast in front of Paramakudi Taluk office, on March 27.