Chennai: Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol.Thirumavalavan and Tamil Nadu Congress chief K. Selvaperunthagai — both allies of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) — have both demanded that the Tamil Nadu Police arrest the “real culprits” behind the murder of Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) state president K. Armstrong.
Thirumavalavan’s remarks came hours after BSP supremo Mayawati spoke on the same lines at Armstrong’s funeral. She also urged the Tamil Nadu government to hand over the murder investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Armstrong was hacked to death, allegedly by six bike-borne men, near his house in Perambur, Chennai Friday. Greater Chennai Police first arrested eight men in connection with the case in the wee hours Saturday, and three others that evening.
The police have said this was a revenge killing for the murder of gangster Arcot Suresh last August. Suresh’s family believed that Armstrong was behind his murder, according to the police.
Selvaperunthagai and Thirumavalavan have also raised questions about the safety of Dalit leaders in the state. Political analysts say their comments are aimed at keeping their own Dalit votebanks intact.
“It’s not the first time the VCK has come out with such statements against the DMK. Every now and then, when such things happen against the Dalits, the VCK would speak out for them. But, it is to keep the Dalit votebank intact. As a leader of the community, he cannot give up the reason for which the party was started,” said Arun Kumar, an academic and political analyst.
He added that this would also mean that Thirumavalavan wanted to gain the confidence of BSP supporters, who have been criticising the VCK for joining hands with Dravidian parties.
Similarly, writer and political commentator Shalin Maria Lawrence said the VCK was forced to talk about the safety of Dalits despite being on good terms with the DMK.
“They have been portraying that everything was good in the State. But, after losing a Dalit leader, they can’t keep quiet. If they don’t talk now, they will be on the wrong side and become anti-Dalit. Now they speak for the majority of Dalits, and from now if not answerable, the DMK will be held responsible for the atrocities against Dalits,” she said.
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‘Arrested people aren’t the real culprits’
Armstrong’s mortal remains were kept at Bunder Garden school near Perambur for the public to pay their last respects. Mayawati visited Sunday and also offered her condolences to Armstrong’s family and party activists.
Addressing the gathering at the funeral, Mayawati said, “I urge the Tamil Nadu chief minister to ensure law and order…in the state. Particularly, the weaker sections of the society should feel safe. Had the government been serious about this issue, they would have arrested the real accused. But, now it is not the case, we urge the state government to hand over the case to the CBI,” she said.
Hours after she left, Thirumavalavan, the MP for Chidambaram, echoed her remarks.
“We cannot ignore Mayawati’s statement. She believes that those who surrendered before the police are not the real accused. That’s why she is asking for a CBI probe. I am also saying that the arrested people are not the real culprits. Police have not arrested them. The Tamil Nadu government should initiate action to arrest the real culprits,” he said.
Selvaperunthagai, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president, also demanded the arrest of all the “real culprits”.
A former VCK MLA, Selvaperunthagai later joined the BSP and became its state president in 2008. He left the party for the Congress in 2010, and Armstrong succeeded him as the BSP’s state chief.
Speaking at the funeral, he said, “We don’t know whether the arrested persons are the real culprits or not. Family members and BSP party members strongly believe that those arrested are not the real culprits. The Tamil Nadu Police should arrest all those involved, including those who are behind the scenes in this murder.”
However, Additional Commissioner of Police Asra Garg has said that the eight arrested men were the real culprits behind Armstrong’s murder.
“The accused have killed Armstrong to avenge the murder of Arcot Suresh. The family of Arcot Suresh believe that Armstrong was behind the murder of Suresh. The younger brother of Arcot Suresh, Balu, was the first accused in the Armstrong murder case,” Garg told the media Sunday, adding that the police have also recovered bloodstained weapons and the clothes worn by the accused at the time of the murder.
Suresh, a notorious gangster and history-sheeter, was killed in August 2023, allegedly in retaliation for the murder of Athi Thennarasu, the BSP’s North Chennai district secretary, in 2015.
‘Safety of Dalits across the state is at stake’
Thirumavalavan and Selvaperunthagai have also raised questions about how safe Dalit leaders were in Tamil Nadu.
“If there is no safety for a Dalit leader of a national party, the safety of the Dalits across the state is at stake,” Selvaperunthagai told the media Saturday.
Similarly, Thirumavalavan said at the funeral that the lives of Ambedkarite Dalit leaders are at risk since many work on the ground without much support.
“There are a lot of Dalit leaders like Armstrong, working on the ground. There is no safety for them. The state government must ensure the safety of the Dalit leaders across the state,” he said.
(Edited by Rohan Manoj)