Dalit murder: Accused were friends of Kowsalya’s father

Thanks to effective CCTV monitoring across the district, Tirupur police were able to arrest the five accused in connection with the recent murder of a dalit youth married to a thevar woman, on Tuesday. The footage clearly showed the accused brutally carrying out the murder in broad daylight in Udumalpet on Sunday evening.

Initial investigation has revealed that all five accused were friends of Chinnasamy, father of the thevar woman Kowsalya. The arrested people are M Manikandan, 25, a construction worker from Ramar Kovil Street in Palani, P Jagadeeshan, 31, a car driver, M Michael alias Madhan, a load man, P Selvakuamr, 25, a load man, all hailing from Dindigul and M Manikandan, 39, from Anna Nagar in Pattiveeranpatti, Dindigul district. Manikandan was arrested for harbouring the accused in his house. One more accused, Thangaraj, is absconding.

Kowsalya's mother Annalakshmi and her maternal uncle Pandidurai, who runs a Tasmac bar in Oddanchathram, are also absconding. Udumalpet police registered a case against the accused under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder), and 109 (punishment of abettment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) of the Indian Penal Code and under section 3 (2) (v) (a) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Kowsalya's father Chinnasamy, 39, surrendered before a judicial magistrate court at Nilakottai in Dindigul district on Monday. He was remanded to judicial custody till March 21. He has been lodged at Madurai central prison. Police said Chinnasamy ran a travel agency in Palini. Jagadeeshan, the main accused, worked as a driver at the agency. He was also a close friend of Chinnasamy.

Chinnasamy hatched a conspiracy with Jagadeeshan, who was charged with murder in 2013, to kill both Shankar and his daughter. Receiving an advance of 50,000, Jagadeeshan executed the murder along with his accomplices at Udumalpet. "We have seized two motorcycles, four deadly weapons and 40,000 from the accused. A detailed investigation is on," said a senior police officer.

Meanwhile, police were forced to conduct a lathicharge in Kumaralingam on Monday when relatives of V Shankar, 22, the deceased dalit youth, refused to let the police cremate the body. 

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