In a shocking incident, an AIADMK functionary was hacked to death by an unidentified gang near Madurai in the early hours of Thursday.
The victim, Senthilkumar (36), son of Sakthi, was a resident of Samanatham village under the Thiruparankundram Panchayat Union in Madurai district. A prominent local leader of the AIADMK, he was serving as the President of the Samanatham Panchayat. He is survived by his wife Kaliya and two sons.
Senthilkumar ran a tea shop near a school in the locality and routinely opened the shop early in the morning. As usual, he arrived to open the shop on Thursday morning when a gang of four persons allegedly arrived in vehicles and picked up an argument with him.
Police said the gang suddenly attacked Senthilkumar with machetes concealed with them, repeatedly slashing him. He collapsed on the spot and died in a pool of blood. The assailants then fled the scene.
On receiving information, personnel from the Silaiman police station rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it to the Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Preliminary investigations revealed that some individuals had allegedly consumed alcohol at Senthilkumar’s tea shop during the night and created disturbances. Senthilkumar is said to have objected to the practice and warned them against drinking there. Police suspect that the murder may be linked to a previous enmity involving a drug-related gang.
It is also noted that Senthilkumar had earlier worked closely with Thiruparankundram AIADMK Union Secretary Nayilur Murugan. Police have intensified the investigation and launched a manhunt to trace the accused.
The murder of the AIADMK leader has sent shockwaves across the Madurai region.
