Tirunelveli: A disabled Dalit man and a migrant worker from Odisha were allegedly hacked to death by a nine-member gang in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district in a targeted caste attack on Monday, March 2.
The incident took place in the Perumpaththu village under the Nanguneri Police Station limits.
The deceased were identified as 42-year-old John Mark, a resident of Perumpathu village, and 57-year-old Srinath Gadda from Odisha.
Police identified the accused as Kannan, Vasantha Kumar, Anthony Michel, Uchimahali alias Mittai, Raja alias Esakkiraja, Subbaia alias Subash and Kalyani, all between the ages of 19 and 21.
Two of the accused had allegedly been named in a previous attack against Dalits, although their identities were not publicised under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, Maktoob Media reported.
Some of the assailants were traced and arrested on Tuesday, March 3, with police stating that strict action would be taken against the attackers.
“Police are taking tough action. They have traced and arrested some people. They are conducting a detailed enquiry,” the official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The assault also left five others injured from the Other Backwards Class (OBC) community. While the police did not initially confirm the motive of the attack, later reports indicate the youth, who were from a dominant intermediate caste, had reportedly planned the assault to intimidate Dalit youth in the locality.
How the incident unfolded
According to PTI, the victims were at a tea shop on Monday night when the nine-member gang, travelling on three motorcycles, allegedly attacked them with a sickle and other weapons, following which Mark and Gadda died on the spot.
Among the injured, two were in a critical condition at the hospital.
The police had promptly formed six special teams late Monday night and initiated a probe. “It is a sensitive case. The police will take tough action,” a police official said, without elaborating further.
The incident triggered widespread condemnation, with locals from OBC and Dalit communities staging a demonstration in the region demanding that the perpetrators be arrested.
Families of the deceased demand action
On Wednesday afternoon, March 4, the Odisha migrant worker, Srinath Gadda’s family received his body, following which they cremated it at the Tirunelveli Corporation crematorium. The family of John Mark reportedly refused to reclaim his body, calling for the arrest of the accused. They demanded strict actions against the suspected individuals.
The Tirunelveli District Police said in a release that the case was registered and the accused involved in the murder have been secured, arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
They also notified that certain individuals have been circulating objectionable content on social media in connection with the case, using abusive and inflammatory language, which might disturb public peace.
“Legal action is being initiated against persons spreading such objectionable content on social media,” the police said. “Cases have already been registered at Vijayanarayanam Police Station and Nanguneri Police Station, and intensive efforts are underway to identify and arrest the persons responsible for such posts.”
The Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police, Dr V Prassanna Kumar, warned that severe legal action will be taken against anyone caught “spreading provocative, divisive, or violence-instigating content on social media within the district.”
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