Ooty: Sixteen persons, including 12 goons from Madurai, were arrested today for assaulting three persons and demolishing a shed that supplies water to the Ooty town, near Coimbatore.

According to the police report, Ashwin, an advocate, was complaining that the parked water lorries were blocking the path to his house and office in Kunda, Ooty. But, Meenakshisundaram, the owner of the water supply services, continued to park the lorries at the same premises.

Under the pretext of cleaning up his premises, Ashwin sought permission from the district administration to use earthmover, and demolished a shed. One of the workers, Vignesh, who was sleeping in the shed, was trapped in the debris and sustained serious injuries.

When Meenakshisundaram demanded the reason for the demolition of the shed, some goons from Madurai, who were engaged by Ashwin, assaulted him and his brother, Jayaraman. All the three were hospitalized.

Also injured in the attack was an old woman who tried to intervene and stop the thrashing. It was her cries that alerted the members of the general public who gathered and caught hold of the goons. The police were then informed.

Ooty DSP Manikandan said that the cops arrested Ashwin, his father Sivaraj and the hired henchmen.