Malayali shops attacked in TN

CHENNAI: Sporadic attacks on commercial establishments owned by Malayalis in Tamil Nadu were reported from various parts of the state, prompting the police to act quickly by arresting the miscreants and also stepping up security measures on Wednesday.Jewellery showrooms, run by the different ‘Alukkas’ groups, were the common target in most of the places though small tea stalls, fruit juice shops and other establishments also faced the wrath of angry crowds.In Chennai, Mohammed Ghouse, the manager of the shopping complex that came under attack at around 11.00 am, told ‘Express’ that the owner of the building, Mohammed Kutty, had come down from Kozhikode four decades ago and the four shops - a travel agency run by Kutty’s son, a tea stall, a restaurant and a bakery - had been doing brisk business facing no hostility from any quarters.The six activists of Tamil Desiya Pothu Udamai Katchi (TDPUK), led by Maniarsan, who attacked the shops after making enquires at the travel agency on the nativity of the owner, was subsequently arrested by the police.The first incident in Coimbatore was at the commercial hub of Cross Cut Road around noon, when TDPUK cadre assembled in front of the Joyalukkas Jewellery and Khazana Jewellery and raised slogans demanding closure of the outlets.Minor incident were also reported from Cuddalore, Kumbakonnam and Thanjavur.