Summary:
Vehicles on the route of the march were set on fire during the protest. Police first resorted to lathi charge and then fired teargas shells along the route to the collectorate and inside the premises, the destination of the protest march. Employees of the collector’s office were evacuated as the protests intensified.Many buildings were damaged and vehicles set on fire, resulting in the entire town of Tuticorin being engulfed in thick black smoke. As the situation went out of control, more than 2,000 police personnel from the southern districts of Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Theni, Dindigul were deployed to Tuticorin. This resulted in protestors pelting police with stones..