Chennai (The Hawk): South Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli is edgy following two consecutive killings linked to caste that shook the region in the previous two weeks.
In both instances, a group belonging to a different caste murdered members of an intervening caste.
Nambirajan of the village of Nadakkalur in the district was slain on Monday night as a result of a recent argument over a festival at the Sree Krishna Swamy temple. Nambirajan was killed by five youngsters from a different caste with a hacksaw. On Tuesday, the deceased Nambirajan's family's friends, family, and caste members blocked the road leading to a traffic jam.
A group from the same intermediary caste that killed Nambirajan murdered a person named Mayandi who belonged to that caste two weeks prior. A temple dispute led to the death of Durai, also known as Chidambaram, of Seevalaperi village, two years ago. The perpetrators were from the same intermediary caste that had killed the other two, and Durai belonged to the same caste as Mayandi and Nambirajan.
To avoid any untoward incidents, a sizable police presence has been deployed throughout the Tirunelveli district under the direction of South Zone Inspector General, Asra Garg.
IANS was informed by police sources that there is a chance that caste members who have been ruthlessly murdered over the past two years will take revenge.
It should be noted that in recent years, caste violence has been present in Tirunelveli, Madurai, Dindigul, and Theni. In August 2021, the DG of Police, C. Sylendrababu, camped out in Madurai for a few days and developed a plan to stop caste-related murders after three murders in a two-day period shocked the authorities.
The locals are uneasy after two weeks of back-to-back homicides.
According to Tirunelveli journalist-turned-social activist Munirajan, "Police must be forceful and unyielding with these crooks. A small number of people are abusing the law and instilling fear in the population. Police must not be afraid to carry out their duties by dismantling these criminal gangs because it requires an iron hand to deal with them. People want to live in peace, so it is the administration's responsibility to see that criminals and those who commit crimes are brought to justice and given severe punishment.
(Inputs from Agencies)