Tiruppur (TN) | Four members of a family, including two women, were hacked to death allegedly by three persons due to previous enmity at Palladam in Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu, police said on Monday. One person has been detained in connection with the crime, said police.
Expressing shock over the incident, Chief Minister M K Stalin said he had directed the police to trace and nab two others involved in the crime. He ordered the officials to provide a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Pubic Relief Fund.
However, relatives and friends of the deceased declined to accept the bodies till all the culprits were brought to book. They staged a demonstration at Palladam in support of their demand. Senior police officials rushed to the spot to pacify them.
The deceased, identified as S Senthil Kumar (48), his cousin P Mohanraj (45), the latter's mother P Pushpavathi (69), and another relative S Rathinambal (58) were found dead with several cut injuries on their bodies. The corpses were lying near the house located close to Senthil Kumar's shop in Kallakinaru, Palladam, police said. Their bodies were shifted to the government hospital in Palladam for post-mortem.
A release quoting the Chief Minister said an unidentified and inebriated three-member gang hacked the four persons 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.
Initial enquiries by the police revealed that one Venkatesh, who worked as a driver for Senthil Kumar, started drinking liquor along with two others who accompanied him, near the shop owned by Senthil Kumar on September 3 night, provoking the latter to advise them to disperse, a senior police official said.
However, Senthil Kumar found himself surrounded by the gang that started inflicting cut injuries on him. Hearing his cries for help, his cousin and two women rushed to his rescue but were hacked to death, he said.
BJP state chief 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 Mohanraj was the second BJP functionary to be killed recently.
"The law and order in Tamil Nadu is in shambles. Corrupt DMK is responsible for transforming TN into a lawless state," he claimed.
"@BJP4TamilNadu functionary and members of his family were brutally killed last night for objecting drunkards for using their backyard. While Thiru@mkstalin & his son are busy promoting religious hatred, the State continues to pay the price for electing this corrupt dynast," he said in a post on X.
Expressing shock over the grisly murders, AIADMK general secretary K Palaniswami said crimes are 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.
He demanded the Chief Minister to provide autonomy to the police department for dealing with crimes and in maintaining law and order.
Also, Palaniswami sought the state government to ensure the arrest of the culprits involved in the heinous crime and take appropriate action to punish them.
