An advocate was murdered outside the Egmore Metropolitan Magistrate Court complex early on Saturday after victory celebrations following the Bar Council election turned violent. A clash between supporters of the winning and defeated candidates saw combatants using knives and flinging stones at each other.
Two persons have been arrested so far.
Egmore police identified the deceased as Stalin Karmen (38), a practising lawyer in Egmore and a resident of Shastri Nagar Second Street in Kilpauk, who was among the jubilant supporters of a winning candidate S. Chandan Babu.
Mr. Chandan Babu won the election for the post of president of the Bar Council of the Egmore court, garnering 386 votes, 20 more than his opponent Michael. The results were announced after midnight and ecstatic supporters of Mr. Chandan Babu started celebrating the victory outside the court complex.
Mr. Michael and his supporters were enraged on seeing the celebrations. “Michael and his group started hurling stones at their rivals and a violent clash ensued among the lawyers and their aides. They then surrounded and attacked some of the people who were celebrating. Stalin collapsed after he was hit on the back of his head by a brick. The enraged group attacked him again and left him bleeding,” said an investigating officer.
A police party, which dispersed the groups, rushed Stalin to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where he succumbed to injuries. The Egmore court complex resembled a war zone with a few parked cars and other vehicles badly damaged. A posse of police personnel was posted in the court complex.
The Egmore police, who registered a case of murder following the incident, arrested Lokeswari alias Eswari (28) of Pulianthope, a law graduate claiming to be a practising lawyer, and Muniyandi (35) of Vyasarpadi, a history-sheeter. A hunt is on for the other 28 assailants including prime suspect Michael.
The body of Stalin was handed over to his relatives on Saturday afternoon following a post-mortem examination. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and two children.