In a major breakthrough, the Tiruppur police have arrested four persons in connection with the brutal murder of 21-year-old Sankar, a Dalit man in Udumalaipettai, who was hacked to death on Sunday.
Selvakumar, Madhan, Manikandan and Jagadeesan are the names of the accused who have been arrested. The SP of Tiruppur has confirmed the arrests.
Saroj, Tirrupur District SP said, “We have arrested all the main accused within 48 hours. Normalcy has been restored. There has not been any sort of law and order issue. Both communities are in harmony. Victim’s family has been given required amount of compensation. We helped them as much as possible. Police protection was given at the victim’s house, burial ground and in and around Kumaralingam and Udumalpettai area. Details regarding the victim will be given tomorrow. We cannot reveal the names of the accused without producing them before the judicial magistrate.”
Saroj, Tirrupur District SP said, “We have arrested all the main accused within 48 hours. Normalcy has been restored. There has not been any sort of law and order issue. Both communities are in harmony. Victim’s family has been given required amount of compensation. We helped them as much as possible. Police protection was given at the victim’s house, burial ground and in and around Kumaralingam and Udumalpettai area."
BJP leader H Raja told reporters in Coimbatore, “Such killings cannot be justified in any manner. In Tamil Nadu, repeatedly honour killings are happening. 71 per cent of the Dalit murder case convicts walk out free. Tamil Nadu government should find the real culprits and punish them. They should make sure such things do not happen again.”
Sankar and his wife Kausalya were attacked by three men on a bike with sickles on Sunday afternoon as they came out of a shop. While Sankar died on the way to the hospital, his wife suffered grievous injuries. The couple had got married in July last year and had been constantly under threat. Kausalya's parents who belong to the Thevar community were opposed to the marriage. Sankar, a Dalit belonged to the Pallar community.
Kausalya’s father surrendered himself at Nilakottai court in Dindigul on Monday. There was trouble in Kumaralingam on Monday night when the locals protested against Sankar’s killing before the burial of his body. The police carried out a lathi-charge at the locals to disperse them from the place.