Chennai, Nov 9 (PTI) About 10 people, including an SSI of police, were killed in separate violent incidents across Tamil Nadu on Deepavali, drawing sharp criticism of the state government from opposition leaders, who alleged a collapse of law and order.
The murders, including that of the Special SI, occurred in several districts from Sunday night to the early hours of Monday, a police official said.
SSI Senthil Kumar, attached to the Office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Theni, was fatally attacked by a group of youth after he advised them not to burst firecrackers in the middle of a road in Samadharmapuram and disrupt traffic.
He collapsed during the assault and succumbed to his injuries on Monday, police said.
Five special teams were formed, and three local persons connected to the incident have been arrested, an official said, adding that the investigation is continuing.
“The loss of SSI Senthil Kumar is deeply regretted. His decision to act with a sense of duty in the interest of public safety and law and order, even while he had completed his shift, reflects his strong sense of responsibility and dedication to the policing profession,” a police release said.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced a solatium of Rs 40 lakh to the family of the SSI.
In Cuddalore, a history-sheeter, Prithiviraj, was stabbed to death with a beer bottle in a clash with Arularasan. Police tracked down Arularasan, shot him in the leg and arrested him.
In Vyasarpadi, Chennai, a young man, Dhanush, was chased down a street and hacked to death with sharp weapons by a group of assailants. Police said an earlier enmity between the victim and the accused was the initial reason for the attack.
Dhanush, an auto-rickshaw driver, had gone to question the attackers of his brother when a group of six people assaulted him. He sustained severe injuries and died while being taken to the Stanley Government Hospital. Two special teams were formed to arrest the six suspects, who are absconding.
The Greater Chennai Police had deployed over 18,000 personnel across the city for Deepavali security. Police said the Vyasarpadi murder was a targeted, localised conflict and not a lapse in general crowd control.
In Samayapuram in Tiruchirappalli district, two 17-year-old daily wage labourers were intercepted and hacked to death with sharp weapons by unidentified assailants near the Pullambadi canal late at night. Three special teams are tracking the culprits.
In another incident in the district, a 20-year-old IT employee, who works in Chennai and had come home for the holidays, was stabbed to death. He and his friends were bursting firecrackers when an argument broke out with residents who objected to the direction in which the crackers were being burst. He was struck in the chest with an iron tool.
In Perambalur district, R Ravi (50), who had gone out to celebrate the festival with friends, was found dead near a temple in the early hours of Monday, police said.
A 25-year-old man was beaten to death near Aruppukottai following a clash on Deepavali night, and two murders were reported from Sivaganga district.
Police said most of the incidents, including the killings of the SSI and the IT employee, were triggered by intoxication, rowdy behaviour and sudden rage, with minor disputes over firecrackers being burst on public streets or pointed towards houses escalating into fatal clashes.
In cases involving history-sheeters, such as the Tiruchirappalli double murder and the Cuddalore gang feud, the attackers used the noise of firecrackers, reduced public vigilance and festive distractions at night to settle old rivalries, they said.
Accusing the ruling TVK of “complete negligence”, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin of the DMK said the rapid deterioration of law and order reflected a complete failure of administrative control.
When police officers themselves fall victim to street violence on public roads, the government’s credibility among citizens is shattered, he said.
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said that murders on a single day, coinciding with Deepavali, reflected how far law and order had deteriorated in Tamil Nadu, with bloodshed across the state.
“The TVK government has pushed the law and order situation to the point where rowdies and criminals are roaming the streets fearlessly, threatening to kill those who confront them. The most horrifying of crimes is the shocking beating of SSI Senthil Kumar. If even the Khaki shirt is not safe here, where is the safety for the common people?” he asked.
“Will this ‘reel’ Chief Minister @actorVijay now understand that politics is not a cinema set, and the CM’s chair is not a platform for delivering ‘punch dialogue’?” he said.
Expressing shock over the incident, PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said strict action must be taken to maintain law and order without any compromise.
BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said that law and order in Tamil Nadu had deteriorated to a dangerous level and that the role of liquor and rising drug peddling could no longer be ignored. PTI JSP SSK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.