Tamil Nadu Reports 10 Murders on Deepavali Day, Including Theni Cop
In Theni, SSI Senthil Kumar was attacked by a group of youths after he admonished them for bursting firecrackers in the middle of a road, blocking traffic, while making reels
Chennai: Ten murders, all unconnected, were reported from various parts of Tamil Nadu from Sunday into the early hours of Monday, coinciding with the Deepavali celebrations.
The victims included a Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) of police in Theni, police said.
Two people were killed in a double murder in Tiruchirappalli district, and a man was killed in Chennai. Police have formed special teams to trace the accused.
In Theni, SSI Senthil Kumar was attacked by a group of youths after he admonished them for bursting firecrackers in the middle of a road, blocking traffic, while making reels. He succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
In Cuddalore, a history-sheeter, Prithiviraj, was stabbed to death with a beer bottle during a clash with Arularasan.
Police tracked down Arularasan, shot him in the leg and arrested him.
In Vyasarpadi, Chennai, Dhanush, a young man, 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.
The MKB Nagar police registered a case. 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. Minor disputes over firecrackers being burst on public streets or pointed towards houses escalated into fatal clashes, they said.
In cases involving history-sheeters, such as the Tiruchirappalli double murder and the Cuddalore gang feud, police said the attackers used the noise of firecrackers, reduced public vigilance and festive distractions at night to settle old rivalries.
