Scuffle breaks out in cinema over anthem

Both the groups have lodged complaints against each other at the MGR Nagar police station but no arrests have been recorded so far. The woman complainant, Shreela, said that she was at Kasi Theatre to watch Chennai 600028 II: Second In nings with seven of her friends when around 20 men who were sitting two rows behind them began hurling abuses and assaulted them during the interval for sitting through the national anthem. The men hurled abuses at the group and a scuffle broke out inside the theatre. Violence continued outside the theatre after the movie ended right in front of police personnel when the men began abusing the students. However, the police intervened and separated the two groups. Both the parties lodged complaints with the police against each other, however, Shreela said that the police issued a Community Service Register (CSR) only mentioning ‘scuffle and argument’. 

One of the victims, Shreela said, “They pulled my friend Viji’s collar who was sitting right next to me and was about to punch him when I interfered and stopped. He did not deliver the punch but kept pulling at his collar and said, I will kill you if you don’t stand up for the anthem.” Shreela (27), Viji (26), Sabaritha (21), Vivek (21), Leenus (28), Sangeetha (21), Yuvaraj (21) and Revathy (25) were attacked by the gang from the audience. 

“They then targeted Sabaritha and verbally abused her. They challenged us to come outside the theatre. Sabaritha alleged that the men kept kicking her leg throughout the first part of the movie,” Shreela said.  By then, the theatre security pushed the guys outside the movie hall and Shreena, a resident of Virugambakkam and a law student of a city college, sent out text messages to her friends who arrived outside the theatre to help them. 

“We proceeded to the back side exit and saw a police patrol team. The ruckus continued in front of the police personnel when the men began abusing us. One of us pushed a youth from the gang and the scene turned violent. Police intervened and separated the two groups,” Shreela said.  Shreela and her friend Sabaritha suffered injuries in the fight. Police said that Vijaykumar, a student from Nesapakkam lodged a complaint against them for not  standing up during the anthem and for the assault.