The deputy general secretary of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s (VCK) Kancheepuram district unit was hacked to death by a three-member gang late on Sunday evening.
Narayanan, also known as Kanchi Ambedkar Valavan (42), a fulltime party worker, had rented a small office on Indira Gandhi Salai in the temple town, and generally spent long hours there interacting with party colleagues. He was in his office on Sunday evening and was about to leave for home, when he received a call on his mobile phone around 9 p.m.
He walked out, while still on the phone, when three men on a motorcycle surrounded him, and hacked at him with sickles. Narayanan sustained critical injuries on his face, chest, neck and throat. His relative, who was on the call with him, rushed there and found him lying in a pool of blood, police said.
He was taken to the Kancheepuram Government General Hospital and after first aid, was being taken to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai, in a police vehicle as there was no government ambulance available then.However, he succumbed to injuries on the way when the vehicle had just passed Sriperumbudur.
Relatives and party cadre gathered at the scene of crime after midnight and raised slogans urging police to arrest the assailants. Shops, schools and colleges were closed on Monday.
On Monday afternoon, Thol Thirumavalavan, party president and Lok Sabha MP, attended the funeral and urged the police to conduct a speedy investigation and arrest those responsible.
He said incidents of violent attacks on Dalits were on the rise. Apart from the Dharmapuri incident, Dalits were being attacked in Cuddalore and Kancheepuram districts too, he said. Mr. Thirumavalavan also urged the State government to consider helping Indira, Narayanan’s wife, and their two daughters Vijayabharathi and Thanganila.
One man, Babu (40), has been arrested in connection with the murder and special teams have been formed to nab the others. Last month, Sathish, the party’s town secretary was assaulted and Narayanan had asked police to arrest those responsible.
