TIRUNELVELI
Police have arrested three youth who allegedly murdered a construction worker at Kothaiseri near Ervadi, besides inflicting cut injuries on a DMK cadre on Monday night.
They were identified as S. Samidurai, 24, S. Subbiah, 25 and Ramar, 25, all from Manjankulam near Nanguneri.
During investigation, police found that worker A. Selvakumar, 29, of Kothaiseri and another Selvakumar of Ilanthapur, also a construction worker, used to go for work along with Samidurai of Manjankulam. When a trivial quarrel broke out between Selvakumars and Samidurai recently at the workplace, it reportedly led to scuffle.
When the enmity worsened, DMK functionary Kamaraj of Perumpaththu brokered peace talks between them. However, Samidurai continued to treat them as his enemies.
Against this backdrop, Selvakumar of Kothaiseri was murdered on Monday night even as he was sitting in front of the temple in the village and an attempt was made on the life of another Selvakumar, who escaped narrowly. Moreover, Kamaraj was also hacked and is undergoing treatment in Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital with grievous cut injuries. His condition is said to be critical.
When the police launched a hunt for suspects Samidurai and his associates, they were found to be hiding in a farm near Srivaikundam from where they were nabbed on Tuesday night.
Condemning the murder of Selvakumar, office-bearers of Dhakshinamara Nadar Sangam came to the Collectorate to submit a petition to the Collector on Tuesday night. As the police refused to allow all of them to enter the Collectorate, they announced that they would not accept the body and returned to their office at Sindhupoondurai to discuss the future course of action. However, a team of police officials went to the office and pacified them.
In the petition submitted in the Collector’s office in the night, they demanded immediate arrest of the those involved in the case and compensation of ₹ 20 lakh to the family of Selvakumar.
As the suspects were arrested, the body was handed over to the family after the postmortem on Wednesday.
