TIRUCHY: Residents who were residing at Vennaimalai Arulmigu Balasubramanian Swamy temple land and were asked to vacate by the court, staged a protest by making pongal to invoke divine support in favour of them on Monday.

After the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court ordered the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) officials to seal the houses built at the Vennaimalai Arulmigu Balasubramanian Swamy temple land.

When the officials went to seal the houses, the residents opposed it, and the Karur MP S Jothimani, former AIADMK minister MR Vijayabaskar and functionaries from DMK, Congress and PMK joined the residents and staged a protest. All of them were arrested.

Against such a backdrop, the court again warned the residents to vacate the spot and told the officials that they can seek paramilitary force for security while sealing the houses.

However, the residents approached the court demanding a proper solution as they had purchased the land from the revenue department, and they possess a patta for their land.

On Monday, more than 100 residents staged a protest and organised a special worship by making pongal as a form of invoking the divine support to favour them in the case.