Four cops hurt as fishermen clash on Andhra Pradesh border

CHENNAI: Four policemen, including an additional superintendent of police, were injured when nearly 3,000 fishermen from Nochikuppam on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border wreaked havoc at Chinna Mangodu Kuppam in Tiruvallur district on Saturday morning. The Nochikuppam fishermen, who came in 400 boats, beat up the local fishermen, burnt nearly 30 boats and damaged about 60 houses.A police vehicle was burnt. Four separate cases were registered but no arrests were made.
The problem, police and residents of the village said, began a few days ago when some fishermen from Nochikuppam and some Andhra Pradesh villages strayed into the area surrounding Chinna Mangodu which is rich in prawns. They were beaten up by the local fishermen who tore their nets and sent them away.
News that the rival groups were planning to avenge the attack spread and residents of Chinna Mangodu informed police. A police contingent arrived in the village on Friday night and evacuated most residents. The mob from Nochikuppan arrived around 11am.
The 200-strong police team tried to reason with them but in vain. The enraged mob went berserk. Spears and knives were used. Some of the terrified villagers who had stayed back ran away but came back later. Police fired in the air before resorting to bursting teargas shells. “Some of the fishermen from Nochikuppam even attacked houses and took away gold ornaments and valuables,” said Xavier Dass, a fisherman. Another resident, Desamma, said the gold bangles she had bought for her daughters was taken away.
As news of the violence spread, additional police forces arrived. “By then the damage had been done,” a police officer said. Additional superintendent of police Stalin, who was injured in the stomach with a spear, and inspector and two constables were later taken to a private hospital in Vanagaram. Doctors said Stalin was out of danger but still unconscious.
Police said the model code of conduct in force due to the general elections hampered their efforts. “We did not have any firing orders and were outnumbered. Initially we thought they had come for peace talks but when we saw the weapons we knew that had come to create trouble,” said a policeman.
Inquiries revealed that fishermen of Nochikuppam and Chinna Mangodu Kuppam had marked areas in the sea where members of the two hamlets could fish and each group was barred from trespassing into the other’s territory.