TIRUPPUR: M Thangavel (42), a key eyewitness in the murder case of High Court advocate Muruganantham, was hacked by an unidentified gang near a private rice mill on Dharapuram-Bhagavan Kovil Road around 6.30 am on Tuesday.
The victim sustained severe injuries to his neck and has been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Coimbatore. Tiruppur SP Shristi Singh told TNIE that six special teams have been formed to arrest culprits and an investigation is under way to determine the motive behind the murder attempt.
Sources said when Thangavel, a resident of Ganapathipalayam in Dharapuram, was travelling on a motorcycle early on Tuesday, the car-borne gang intercepted and attacked him with sharp weapons. Passersby rushed him to the Dharapuram GH, where he received first aid. Later, he was shifted to the private hospital in Coimbatore.
Police personnel have been deployed for protection at the house of L Muruganantham — the 41-year-old advocate who was murdered in Dharapuram last year.
On July 28, Muruganantham, who had fought for the rights of persons with disabilities, was hacked to death near Thenmalar Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Dharapuram. Thangavel is the first witness and the complainant of the case, which is under trial at the Dharmapuri court.
In connection with the murder, police have so far arrested 18 people, including R Dhandapani (65) — Muruganantham’s uncle and the owner of the school — and his son, Karthik. A total of six persons, including Dhandapani, were detained under the Goondas Act.