Salem doctor arrested for defacing statue of former CM Karunanidhi
ENT Specialist Arrested
Salem: A 77-year-old ENT doctor from Salem was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly defacing a 16-foot-tall bronze statue of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi by pouring black paint on it at Anna Park.
According to the Hastampatti police, the doctor allegedly poured black paint on the statue at Anna Park while grappling with mental distress linked to ongoing family problems. The act of vandalism came to light after CCTV footage from the area showed the senior doctor approaching the statue with a container of black paint.
The doctor, a long-practicing ENT specialist who runs Arunagiri ENT Nursing Home in the Four Roads area of the city, reportedly confessed to the act when confronted by the authorities.
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The police booked the doctor under sections 196 (Promoting enmity between different groups and disturbing public tranquillity) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the BNS and sections of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Destruction and Loss) Act, 1982, reports TOI.
He has since been remanded to judicial custody. While the act itself is being handled as a criminal offence, the circumstances surrounding it have drawn attention to the importance of recognising and addressing mental health issues.
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