COIMBATORE: A video of a man attempting to stab a police constable in front of a large gathering of devotees, who have gathered at a temple for the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival in Tirupur, has been circulated widely on social media.
After inquiries, the police said the man was not drunk but mentally unstable. On Tuesday, around 6.45 pm, a man aged around 40 years lay near the Veera Ragava Perumal temple and hurled abuses at devotees passing by the way.
They informed police constable Ramakrishnan, attached to Tirupur South Police Station, who was deployed for security at the temple.
When the cop asked him to leave, he turned aggressive and verbally abused the cop, too. He then took out a knife and attempted to stab the cop.
Demonstrating presence of mind, the cop quickly removed his belt and skillfully swung it to keep the assailant at bay. Yet the man continued to brandish the knife and shouted out loudly.
As the shocking scene unfolded, the women devotees screamed and fled to safety. Shortly then, additional cops arrived, managed to overpower him and seized the knife.
The police also thoroughly checked him to ensure that he did not carry any other weapons and took him to the police station.
As he refused to cooperate with the investigation and remained aggressive, the police admitted him to Tirupur Government Hospital for an examination.
"Preliminary inquiries revealed that he was mentally unstable and used to often exhibit aggressive behaviour. He was not drunk at the time of the incident," police said.
The Tirupur South police have registered a case, and further inquiries are underway.