CHENNAI: The city police shot dead a 28-year-old man, who was arrested for hacking a constable, near the Central Polytechnic College campus at Taramani on Tuesday. According to police, they acted in self-defence when Anandan pulled out a knife and started attacking Sub-Inspector S Ilayaraja. Sources said it was Assistant Commissioner K N Sudharsan, who fired the shot, on seeing Anandan attacking the SI.Anandan, who died of bullet injury on his chest in the encounter, was one of the four accused arrested for an assault on constable Rajavel, when the latter was trying to intervene in a group clash at Royapettah on Monday. Rajavel had suffered 16 cut injuries on head.
Police said another accused in the constable assault case, Aravindan, led them to a place at Sholinganallur where four more accused were hiding. “Anandan was one of the four persons arrested today. He claimed that constable Rajavel’s walkie-talkie (which was lost during the Monday assault) was kept near the Central Polytechnic College at Taramani and hence the police team took him there around 8.30 pm. At the spot, he managed to free himself, pulled out a knife and attacked Sub-Inspector Ilayaraja. So, Assistant Commissioner Sudharsan had to fire at him,” said a senior police officer.
The spot where the police claimed they shot Anandan dead was a deserted area surrounded by various educational institutions. As there was hardly any public movement in the area, police said no members of the public witnessed the incident.A police officer at the spot said, “We were asking him to surrender. But he refused and also did not drop the knife he was carrying. So the police had to fire at him.”
Anandan was a resident of the Ice House area. One of his friends, who reached the Royapettah Government Hospital where the body was kept, said Anandan was a plumber and added, “He has two children, a boy aged 5 and a girl aged 4.” The friend said, “Anandan would never go to the extent of assaulting anyone with knife so severely. He was part of the group when the constable was assaulted on Monday. But he had told friends that he did not assault the constable.” Police said that they had already asked Anandan’s family members to inform them if he came back home He had several criminal cases pending against him, they added.
triggering debate
March 1
Madurai: Police gunned down two history-sheeters, Karthik and Irulandi, after one of them allegedly attacked police personnel while attempting to evade arrest.
July 27, 2003
Chennai: Forty-five-year-old ‘Ayodhyakuppam’ K Veeramani (45), a history-sheeter, was shot dead on the Marina beach after Veeramani allegedly attacked the policemen when they forced him to accompany them to the station for an enquiry.
October 18, 2004 Dharmapuri: Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan was killed in an encounter by a Task Force.
August 1, 2007
Ichangur, Bagalur-Sarjapuram: Road gangster ‘Vellai’ Ravi of Chennai and his associate Guna were gunned down by a special team from the Central Crime Branch police (CCB)
November 9, 2010
Coimbatore: A 23-year-old cab driver, Mohana Krishnan, who allegedly raped a 10-year-old girl and her seven-year-old brother before killing them by drowning them in a canal, was shot dead.
November 30, 2012
Sivaganga: Two men- Prabhu and Bharathi- suspected to have murdered Sub Inspector Alwin Sudhan were shot dead after they allegedly attempted to escape from custody.
February 23, 2012
Velachery, Chennai: Five men suspected in two bank robberies were shot dead after they allegedly opened fire at the police team in order to evade arrest.
(Inputs: Sahaya Novinston Lobo & Sushmitha Ramakrishnan)