Madurai, 6 Oct

A statue of iconic AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran was vandalised by miscreants at Avaniyapuram near here, police said on Monday.

A large number of AIADMK cadres gathered here today and staged a protest demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits, who the police claimed had damaged the statue on the night of 5 October.

Separate police teams have been formed to trace out and nab the culprits, the official said.

Expressing shock, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the incident was “deeply regrettable.”

“I consider this a despicable act committed by cowards who cannot take on the revolutionary leader's fame and his policies head-on. The achievements and fame of the great leader cannot be diminished or altered in the minds of the people a wee bit by damaging his statue,” he said.

In a post on the social media platform ‘X’, Palaniswami urged the Tamil Nadu government and police to take prompt action and arrest the “anti-social elements who are trying to disrupt public peace” by indulging in such acts.