Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday, March 19, assured that those responsible for the murder of retired police sub-inspector Zakhir Hussain Bijli in Tirunelveli district would be investigated and brought to justice impartially.
Responding to a special calling attention motion raised by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Edappadi K. Palaniswami and other MLAs, Stalin confirmed that a case had been registered based on a complaint lodged by Zakhir Hussain’s wife and that an investigation was underway.
“This government will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands. Let me inform you that not only in this case of murder, but no one can escape from the grip of the law, no matter who is involved in the crime,” the CM said.
“A serious investigation would be conducted, and the culprits and all those behind them would be investigated and brought to justice impartially,” he added.
Zakhir Hussain Bijli, a retired sub-inspector of police who was once part of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s security detail, was also an administrator of Murtim Zarkhan Dargah and a Mutawalli (a manager of Waqf property) in Tirunelveli town.
On Tuesday, March 18, while returning home on his bike after offering Fajr (morning prayers), he was ambushed by a four-member armed gang and hacked to death, according to police reports.
Hours after the murder, two men surrendered at the Nellai court, while the police continued their search for at least two more suspects.
“Two persons from Thottipalam street have surrendered in court. A special police team has been formed to trace others involved. The police are also examining the video released by Zakhir Hussain, in which he spoke about the death threats he had been receiving,” Stalin stated.
Prior to his murder, Zakhir Hussain had alleged that he was receiving death threats related to an ongoing land dispute. In a video message recorded before his death, he claimed, “It’s not just one or two people, some 20-30 people are involved in giving death threats to me.”
He specifically accused local police officers of negligence, saying, “Both the Tirunelveli town inspector Gopalakrishnan and sub-inspector Senthil Kumar are responsible for encouraging Thoufiq and his group to murder me.”
Zakhir further alleged discrepancies in the handling of his complaints. “While I had filed my complaint in December, according to a Community Service Register (CSR) copy I received on February 24, 2025, the police claimed I had only filed the case on February 14, 2025. The case was recorded as a civil dispute so the police could justify not taking action,” he stated.
CM Stalin stated that preliminary investigations pointed to a land dispute as the motive behind the attack. The dispute involved Zakhir Hussain and Krishnamoorthy, alias Mohamed Thoufiq, both from the same locality.
Zakhir had been involved in a legal battle for over a year against a couple, Thoufiq and Noorunisa, whom he accused of encroaching on 36 cents of Waqf land. He alleged that the couple had falsified documents to claim ownership of the land, a matter currently pending before the Waqf tribunal.
“Thoufiq and his cousin Akbar Basha had filed a complaint against Zakhir Hussain, and he had also lodged a complaint against them. The police had registered a Community Service Register (CSR) case and were investigating the matter. However, even as the inquiry was ongoing, this condemnable act (murder) has taken place,” Stalin said.