Kachanatham attack: four detained under Goondas Act

13 were held, eight others surrendered in connection with murder of three Dalits

SIVAGANGA

Four accused, including a man and his two sons, who were arrested in connection with the triple murder in Kachanatham village in Sivaganga district on the night of May 28, were detained under the Goondas Act.

Acting on the recommendation of Superintendent of Police T. Jayachandran, Collector G. Latha ordered their detention under the preventive Act on Sunday.

The police said the accused were Chandrakumar (47), his sons Suman (23) and Arun alias Arunkumar (21), and Agni alias Agniraj (21). Manamadurai Deputy Superintendent of Police Sukumaran served the detention order on the accused at Madurai Central Prison.

A group of caste Hindus launched an indiscriminate attack on Dalits at the village following a tiff with them after the local village temple festival.

The group, led by Suman and Arun, hacked to death K. Arumugam (65), A. Shanmuganathan (31) and Chandrasekar (32). While Suman and Arun surrendered before a court in Madurai a day after the attack, Chandrakumar surrendered a couple of days later, the police said.

The SP said two more accused in the case were also being detained under the preventive Act. “Files are being readied in this regard,” he told The Hindu .

While the special teams had arrested 13 accused, eight others surrendered before different courts. The special teams were looking for nine more accused, he added.