Two men, including a migrant worker, were killed and six others injured after an armed gang launched an indiscriminate attack on residents in Perumpaththu village near Nanguneri on the night of March 2. According to police, one person has been detained and an investigation is underway.
According to reports, a nine-member group arrived on three two-wheelers and launched a sudden assault using sickles. The victims were standing outside a tea shop opposite a bus stop when the attackers, who were reportedly masked, began striking indiscriminately before fleeing the scene, The New Indian Express reported.
The deceased have been identified as John Mark of Perumpathu and a brick kiln worker from a North Indian state. The injured — A Nelson, P Prabhakaran, V Ramasamy, A Ganesan, and S Saskiumar were admitted to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for treatment. According to hospital sources, one of them is in critical condition.
The motive behind the attack is yet to be ascertained. However, police maintain that the attack was not caste-related. Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police V Prassannakumar said Special teams have been formed and efforts were underway to apprehend the suspects.
Following the incident, residents from Backward Class and Scheduled Caste communities staged a road blockade on the Nanguner-Ervadi road, demanding the swift arrest of the assailants.
According to the residents, recently the village came under a petrol bomb attack where the attackers, said to belong to the dominant caste, hurled petrol bombs. The latest unprovoked attack is linked to it, villagers suspect.
“After a gang lobbed petrol bombs recently in Perumpaththu, we demanded stringent action against the attackers, all belonging to a dominant intermediate caste. As the police action got delayed, the fresh round of unprovoked attack has been unleashed on innocents in which two lives have been lost,” the protesting villagers alleged, according to The Hindu.
Meanwhile, security was tightened across Nanguneri taluk, with personnel deployed from multiple police stations to prevent further unrest. Authorities are also examining CCTV footage from cameras installed along routes leading to the village.
Previously, in 2023, a 17-year-old Dalit schoolboy, Chinnadurai, was brutally attacked by a group of classmates belonging to the Thevar community. The assault occurred after prolonged caste-based harassment by the attackers, who targeted Chinnadurai because of his caste identity. His 13-year-old sister was also injured in the attack. The incident had sent shockwaves across the state.