Coimbatore sources have stated that communal violence triggered by the murder of a Hindu Munnani leader C. Sasikumar by an unidentified gang late on Thursday night has brought Coimbatore to a near standstill on Friday with arsonists targeting commercial establishments and premises most of which were reportedly owned by Muslims and the neighboring Tirupur district too witnessed sporadic violence.
It was stated that Sasikumar, who was attacked with knives by a four member motorcycle-borne gang near the G.N. Mills bus stop within Thudiyalur police station limits, has died while being rushed to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Thursday night and the police are yet to ascertain the reason for his murder.
On Friday, scores of people who have headed to pay homage to Sasikumar and later has participated in his funeral procession resorted to violence, pelting stones at buses and shops at several places and they have also allegedly targeted places of worship, creating a scare.
Meanwhile as tension mounted, almost all shopping establishments, cinema halls and fuel stations shut down fearing large-scale violence and many schools and colleges too were closed for the day, where some of them announced a holiday by afternoon.
