PUDUCHERRY: With the brutal murder of former Speaker and Agriculture Minister V M C Sivakumar at his home town in Neravy, Karaikal, Puducherry’s inter-gang rivalry, that once reared its ugly head a decade ago, has once again begun to haunt the Union Territory.
Hurling bombs at and the hacking of a politico of Sivakumar’s stature in broad daylight is a first in Karaikal. Puducherry has witnessed gang-related crimes while Karaikal has remained unaffected, until Tuesday. This murder is suspected to have arisen from business rivalry that was also the motive for three earlier murders.
VMC Sivakumar ‘s business partner in the liquor business, Ramu, who also assisted Sivakumar win the 2011 elections, was murdered in 2013 arising from disputes over property matters. Ramu started transferring property in the name of his second wife Ezhilarasi which caused differences to arise between VMC and Ramu as VMC favoured Ramu’s first wife Vinodha. Subsequently 45-year-old Ayyappan, of T.R. Pattinam (alleged henchman of Ramu’s first wife) , accused in the murder of Ramu was murdered a few months later.
Thereafter Vinodha, the first wife of Ramu who became the business partner of VMC Sivakumar was murdered, and Ramu’s second wife Ezhilarasi was arrested. After she was released on bail some time back, VMC Sivakumar became apprehensive of an attack on him and approached the police for protection and a security guard was provided to him.
It was not enough to stop a gang boldly executing the murder of Sivakumar in broad daylight at an under-construction marriage hall where several workers were working.
This is reminiscent of the gang wars in Puducherry a decade ago with gangs becoming increasingly bold through daring bomb attacks.
The murder of a rowdy Jayakumar with a bomb hurled inside Mudalirpet police station on March 26, 2004 sparked the bomb culture in Puducherry. Notorious rowdy Jegan was himself murdered through a bomb attack in Puducherry. He was killed by a bomb that was hurled into the police van that was escorting him to a sub-jail in Karaikal.
An AINRC partyman was murdered very close to the then chief minister N Rangasamy’s residence allegedly by a rival group from the same party.
Even children lost their lives while innocently playing with unexploded country-bombs near Vanarapet.
Arrested gang leaders began masterminding murders from prisons with rivalries spilling into prisons where gang members began attacking each other.
Manikandan of the rival Karuna Gang was seriously injured allegedly by Jegan with stones. There has also been daring attacks on jails. A ten-member gang broke into the sub-jail at Yanam, to eliminate notorious rowdy ‘Murder’ Manikandan who was lodged there, but prompt action by the jail security and police foiled the attempt.
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who was committed to the restoration of law and order has, so far acted tough to keep things under control. With the sudden outbreak of gang violence he now has his task cut out to prevent deterioration of law and order.