Former Mayor of the Tirunelveli Corporation and DMK leader Uma Maheshwari, 65, her husband Murugasankaran, 74, and housemaid Mari, 30, were found dead at their house in Rose Nagar, near the Government College of Engineering, in Tirunelveli, on Tuesday evening.
Ms. Maheswari was the first Mayor of the Tirunelveli Corporation between 1996 and 2001. Her husband retired as an engineer in the Department of Highways. Police said jewels were missing, and the cupboard in the house was found open.
Commissioner of Police N. Bhaskaran said that it could be a case of murder for gain. Three special teams under the supervision of an Assistant Commissioner of Police were formed to investigate the case. The culprits had used knives and sticks as weapons, he added.
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The incident came to light when Mari’s mother Vasantha, visited the house as she had not returned home until evening. Mari used to work from morning till afternoon at the house. When Ms. Vasantha came to the house around 5.30 p.m., the front door was ajar and she found the three victims lying in a pool of blood.
On receiving the information, the Melapalayam police rushed to the spot. The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Saravanan also reached the spot. Forensics experts and sniffer dog scanned the area for evidence.
Ms. Maheswari was also the incumbent women’s wing organiser of the DMK for Tirunelveli central region. She contested unsuccessfully on a DMK ticket from Sankarankovil Assembly constituency in 2011.
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Over the last few years, she had taken an interest in spiritual activities and performed veena kutcheris at the Nellaiyappar temple.
The couple’s son, Prabhu, died in a road accident a few years ago. Their elder daughter, Karthika, resides near their house and works as a teacher in a college at Aralvaimozhi in Kanniyakumari district, while the younger daughter, Priya, resides in Tiruchi.
DMK members thronged the residence following the incident. Condemning her murder, the party president M. K. Stalin alleged that several DMK functionaries were killed and the AIADMK government was not able to maintain law and order.
He said Ms. Maheswari’s election as the first Mayor of Tirunelveli proved that the DMK was not only a movement for the rights of women, but also an organisation that offered positions to women on a par with men.
“She was very simple and carried members of parties along with her. She was conferred the Pavendar award by Kalaignar (former DMK leader M Karunanidhi) in 2011,” he said.