The statue of Periyar was found garlanded with slippers and smeared with saffron colour powder, triggering protests from organisations like Dravida Kazhagam.
Coimbatore: Two Hindu Munnani outfit functionaries were arrested on Tuesday on charges of defacing the statue of the social reformer Periyar E.V. Ramasamy here, police said.
The statue situated in front of Thantha Periyar Study Centre in Vellalore was found desecrated on Sunday morning.
It was found garlanded with slippers and smeared with saffron colour powder, triggering protests from organisations like Dravida Kazhagam.
After verifying the footage collected from CCTV cameras in nearby areas, police managed to identify two persons involved in the crime and arrested Arun Karthik and Mohan Raj said to be the ward functionaries of Hindu Munnani, they said.
As the duo confessed to the act, they were produced before a court and remanded to 15 days judicial custody, the police added.
(PTI)