The police arrested all the accused in connection with the murder; protesting relatives of the deceased yet to receive the bodies.
Published Sep 05, 2023 | 2:58 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 05, 2023 | 3:30 PM
Sustaining grievous injuries, all four died on the spot. Palladam police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies for postmortem to the government hospital in Palladam
A gang hacked four members of a family, including two women, to death due to a previous enmity at Palladam in the Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu.
The police identified the deceased as S Senthil Kumar (48), his cousin P Mohanraj (45) — a local BJP functionary — the latter’s mother P Pushpavathi (69), and a relative S Rathinambal (58). The family had objected to the gang consuming liquor in front of their house in Kallakinaru village.
After an altercation with the family, the allegedly inebriated gang hacked them with sickles and fled.
The police said all four died on the spot. The bodies had been sent to the Palladam government hospital for postmortem examination.
After a preliminary inquiry, the police said Senthil Kumar was running a fertilizer shop in the locality, and the prime accused, Venkatesh (27) of Tirunelveli, had worked as his driver for a few years. He was dismissed for dereliction of duty, which irked him. Venkatesh hired a gang to kill Senthil Kumar.
On early Tuesday, the police arrested Venkatesan from near Mukkombu in Tiruchy district.
A special investigation team later arrested one Chellamuthu (22), a resident of Manapparai, and Muthaiah, a resident of Uthamapalayam, Theni.
The police said previous enmity led to the murders.
Meanwhile, the accused Chellamuthu had fractured his leg while escaping the police. He was admitted to the Coimbatore government hospital.
Expressing shock over the incident, Chief Minister MK Stalin said he has directed the police to trace and nab the two others involved in the crime. He ordered the officials to provide a solatium of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.
Refusing to accept the bodies, the relatives and friends of the deceased staged a demonstration at Palladam demanding the immediate arrest of the accused.
A media statement that quoted the chief minister said an unidentified and inebriated three-member gang hacked the four people to death.
“I was distressed to hear the shocking news about the death of the four persons. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and friends,” the chief minister said.
Seeking the arrest of the accused, the relatives and the BJP staged a road blockade at the Palladam High Road for nearly two hours on Monday. They also demanded a government job for a family member of the deceased persons.
Senior police officers, including West Zone Inspector General of Police (IG) Bhavaneshwari, camped at Palladam to monitor the situation. More police personnel from Coimbatore, Erode, and Namakkal districts were deployed in Palladam.
Following the arrest of the accused in the case, the police and revenue officials, on Tuesday morning held talks with the relatives.
Expressing shock over the murders, AIADMK general secretary K Palaniswami said crimes were on the rise since the DMK came to power in 2021. “Instead of addressing this serious issue, the chief minister is seeking publicity,” he alleged in a statement.
திருப்பூர் மாவட்டம் பல்லடம் அருகே கள்ளக்கிணறு பகுதியில் வீட்டின் முன் மது அருந்தியவர்களை தட்டி கேட்டதற்காக மோகன்ராஜ் என்பவரையும், அவரது தாயார் சகோதரர் மற்றும் சித்தி என நான்கு பேரை குடும்பத்துடன், போதை கும்பல் கொடூரமாக வெட்டி படுகொலை செய்துள்ள சம்பவம் அதிர்ச்சியை ஏற்படுத்தி…
— Edappadi K Palaniswami – Say No To Drugs & DMK (@EPSTamilNadu) September 4, 2023
He demanded autonomy to the police department for dealing with crimes and maintaining law and order. Palaniswami also sought the state government to ensure the immediate arrest of the culprits.
BJP state unit president K Annamalai, who condemned the murders, said his party men, too, were staging an agitation demanding the arrest of the culprits. Speaking to reporters in Tirunelveli, he said that Mohanraj was the second BJP functionary to be killed recently.
Law & order in TN is in Shambles. Corrupt DMK is responsible for transforming TN into a lawless state. @BJP4TamilNadu functionary & members of his family were brutally killed last night for objecting drunkards for using their backyard.
While Thiru @mkstalin & his son are busy… pic.twitter.com/ISQwqCsTCe
— K.Annamalai (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@annamalai_k) September 4, 2023
“The law and order in Tamil Nadu is in a shambles. The corrupt DMK is responsible for transforming TN into a lawless state,” he said.
