Petrol bombs hurled at 2 post offices in Chennai

Chennai, Oct 29: A four-member gang hurled petrol bombs at two post offices in the city in the wee hours of today. Police sources told UNI that no one was injured in the bomb attack that took place at Mylapore and Mandaveli post offices. Since the post offices were closed at the time of attack, some furnitures and digital boards and banners kept on the premises were damaged in the attack. Police said four bombs were hurled in the post offices. Another version said in all 15 bombs were hurled--nine in Mylapore and six in Mandaveli post office--of which a couple of them did not explode. The unexploded bombs were sent for forensic tests. Footages recorded in the CCTV cameras installed in the Mylapore post office revealed that four people were involved in the attack. Police have arrested one Umapathy, a functionary of the Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, in connection with the attack on Mylapore Police station. A manhunt has been launched to nab the remaining three.

Police have tightened security in both the post offices following the attack. Security has also been tightened in other post offices and Central government installations, as the bombs were hurled in an apparent bid to exert pressure on the Centre to boycott the Commonwealth Meeting at Colombo next month. Several outfits have been staging various forms of agitations during the last few weeks to exert pressure on the Indian government to boycott the CHOGM meeting over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. Even political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the ruling AIADMK and its arch-rival DMK, the DMDK, MDMK and PMK, spoke in one voice, demanding that India should boycott the meeting. An unanimous resolution was also adopted in the State Assembly in this regard on October 24 in deference to the wishes expressed by various political parties. The resolution, moved by Chief Minister and AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa, urged the Indian Government to totally boycott next month's CHOGM meeting and take steps to expel Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth Committee till it devolves equal powers to Tamils on par with the Sinhalese. The resolution said there should not be even token participation from India and wanted India to convey its decision to Sri Lanka in this regard.