- By Radha Basnet
- Sat, 06 Jul 2024 03:09 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The murder of K Armstrong, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Tamil Nadu unit president, has sparked controversy and demanded a thorough investigation. According to the police, as many as eight suspects have been detained in connection with the killing. However, political leaders and supporters of the slain leader have questioned whether the apprehended people are the real culprits.
The supporters of the late BSP leader have claimed that his death was a "planned" murder and have demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They believe that there was an "intelligence failure" that led to the tragic incident.
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The 52-year-old former Chennai Corporation Councillor was brutally hacked to death by a six-member bike-borne gang near his residence in Perambur, Chennai, on Friday. Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed shock over the incident and extended his condolences, stating that the culprits were caught in an overnight operation.
"The police have arrested those involved in his murder in an overnight operation," Stalin said in a post on 'X'. He said he had ordered the police to conduct the investigation expeditiously and ensure that the culprits are punished according to law. "I would like to convey my deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family and friends," he added.
A post-mortem examination of Armstrong's body was conducted at a government hospital in Chennai on Saturday. Supporters staged a protest outside the hospital, affecting the traffic movement on the busy Poonamalle High Road. The police later removed the protesters from the area.
On Friday, BSP Chief Mayawati said the killing was "deplorable" and called on the state to "punish the guilty". "The gruesome killing of K Armstrong, Tamil Nadu state Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president, outside his Chennai house is highly deplorable and condemnable. An advocate by profession, he was known as a strong Dalit voice in the state. The state Govt. must punish the guilty," Mayawati said wrote on X.
Armstrong's death brought a sharp reaction from AIADMK as the party's general secretary and Leader of Opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami, slammed the ruling DMK over law and order. "What do I say when the state chief of a national party is murdered? The law and order is shameful. There is no fear of law or the police," Palaniswamy said.
Earlier today, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also responded to the BSP leader's death and said the killing was" brutal and abhorrent". "Deeply shocked by the brutal and abhorrent killing of Thiru Armstrong, the Tamil Nadu Chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends and followers. Tamil Nadu Congress leaders are in constant touch with the Government of Tamil Nadu, and I am confident that the Government will ensure that the culprits are brought to justice expeditiously," he wrote on X.