Labourer beaten to death by students in Chennai, two arrested
CHENNAI: A 26-year-old migrant worker was beaten to death by a group comprising nine students over a trivial issue at VGP Selva Nagar in Velachery on Thursday. Out of the nine, two were college students and others were under the age of 16. The college students were arrested and the juveniles were sent to an observation home.
The deceased was identified as Ramesh Mandal (29) from Jharkhand, who was staying in Velachery and working as a construction labourer. On Wednesday night, Mandal along with three others had gone to purchase groceries and vegetables.
“At around 8 pm, they found a group dancing on the road. While Mandal and his friends were passing by them, one of the boys accidentally kicked Mondal,” said a senior police officer. Mandal confronted the boys and as the argument escalated, he hit one of them with a drumstick. Agitated, the youth attacked Mandal with logs and stones.
They also chased away the other three men, said the police. “They also hurled casteist slurs. The other workers returned and rushed Mondal to a nearby hospital,” said a police officer. He was later shifted to the Government Royapettah Hospital with grievous head injuries.
Velachery police registered a case and nabbed all nine students. Ramesh Mandal succumbed at the hospital in the wee hours after which the police altered it to a murder case.