Actor’s poster on Adi Dravidar school name board ruffles feathers

VELLORE: VCK cadre have threatened to block the busy Chennai–Bengluru national highway at Alamelumangapuram on the outskirts of Vellore if police fail to arrest those who pasted two posters of actor-comedian Santhanam on the name board of the Adi Dravidar higher secondary school on Friday night.

The issue came to light when locals saw the posters covering the cement name board of the school. Soon VCK cadre gathered at the spot and Sathuvachari police were also informed.

VCK cadre tore up the posters in the presence of the police while local Vellore Corporation councillor Reegan who arrived at the spot told those present that he would lodge a complaint with the police. School headmistress Shanthi who lives in Gudiyattam, 35 km away, was also informed, according to social activist Dinesh Saravanan.

Saravanan said, “as the local community is made up of Dalits, they were enraged about the poster issue. Though a friend of the boy who pasted the poster spoke to me over the phone he refused to divulge the culprit’s name other than saying that he lived in Sathuvachari and studied in an arts college near Arcot in neighbouring Ranipet district.”

However, the issue took a communal turn when it was learnt that Santhanam belonged to the Vanniayar community, which was when VCK cadre turned out demanding action. A local who refused to reveal his name said, “it was not as if there was no space to paste the poster. The name board is a continuation of the wall, which was not defaced. The posters on the name board seem to have been done wantonly to rake communal anger.” However only police action will reveal how things will turn out on Monday.