District convener of the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam T. Palani alias Palanisamy (47) was murdered by a gang of around 22 people in Balepuram village on Thursday morning.
The First Information Report has been registered against Thalli MLA. T. Ramachandran, his brother T. Varadarajan, father-in-law Laghumiah, their uncle Sathappa, Kesavan, Nagamangalam Periyasamy and Chappathi Muniraj and 15 others, said Superintendent of Police Abishek Dixit.
He told The Hindu that the FIR was on the basis of a complaint lodged by P. Vanchinathan, son of Palanisamy.
Nine special teams had been formed to nab the culprits. Police pickets had been posted in seven places, including Balepuram village, Uthanapalli and Varaganapalli, from where Mr. Ramachandran hails. Police said that the gang members came in a car and shot at Palani before chopping off his head. Palani was standing near the motor pump watching his son irrigating the field. The Uthanapalli police have registered cases under sections 307, 302, 147, 148, 341,120B of IPC, 25 (1) (B) of Arms Act and Section 5 of Explosives Substances Act.
