TIRUNELVELI: The relatives of John Mark, a Scheduled Caste man who was hacked to death by a gang belonging to the MBC community in Perumpathu village near Nanguneri on March 2, received the body at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) on Monday and performed the last rites at the village.
The sickle attack, allegedly motivated by caste pride, left John and a migrant worker from Odisha -- Trinath Kata -- dead and six others injured. Nanguneri police have arrested nine persons so far in connection with the attack.
After the incident, John’s body was sent to the TvMCH, where the autopsy was conducted.
His relatives, along with people belonging to a BC community, had been protesting in the Perumpathu village for the past seven days, demanding stringent action against the culprits. Police personnel from across the district were deployed in Perumpathu and its surrounding areas to prevent any untoward incidents.
Last Wednesday, the relatives of Kata received his body, and it was cremated at the Tirunelveli Corporation crematorium. The six persons injured in the attack are receiving treatment at different hospitals.