A 24-year-old leader of the local BJP unit at Uadhayamarthandapuram near Muthupettai in Tiruvarur district was murdered allegedly by his friends late on Monday night. Police are on the look out for four assailants in connection with the murder.
The victim, P. Venkatesh, a business man and local BJP unit leader at Udhayamarthandapuram, was at his fuel station when his friends Sidhamalli Vijayendran (23) and Marudu Pandi (24) of Tholi village allegedly picked up a quarrel with his resulting in the two attacking Venkatesh with a billhook.
When Venkatesh tried to flee the spot, two other friends of Vijayendran allegedly attacked him killing him on the spot. All the four assailants reportedly escaped in the cover of darkness.
Edayur Police immediately reached the spot, sent the body of Venkatesh for post-mortem at the Tiruthuraipoondi Government Hospital.
On Tuesday morning, a large number of people, including workers from the BJP, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) gathered at Udhayamarthandapuram and staged a road roko demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits who were identified.
The people of the village joined them.
Police and revenue officials held talks with them and promised them prompt action resulting in the road roko being withdrawn.