Crimes, at times, happen over trivial reasons. You need not have gunpowder in blood to execute a grave crime, even murder. A silly matter can escalate into bloody episodes of violence, just like what happened at this idyllic village in Thiruvananthapuram.
It was a Saturday when Sivasurya, an 18-year-old, was killed by a group of youngsters — all below the age of 22 — while settling a beef over what might seem to be a silly matter.
Almost 18 months ago, Sivasurya had a dispute with a group of teenagers while playing football on a sports turf near Pallichal. He had allegedly fouled a rival player, Karthikeyan, during the match. There was a brief scuffle, which was normal owing to the adrenaline rush, but things did not stop there.
What should have ended in the grassy turf snowballed into an intense personal rivalry.
Whenever Karthikeyan and his friends met Sivasurya, they exchanged stony stares. Soon the phone calls started with warnings of bloody revenge.
On the night of June 6, their intentions, advertently or otherwise, turned true.
Karthikeyan and his friends — Ajith, Aromal and Priya Darshan — summoned Sivasurya from his workplace to Vedivachankovil. They said they wanted to end the rivalry forever.
Sivasurya agreed and reached the place. As they began to talk, an argument broke out between Sivasurya and others. Soon it turned physical. During the struggle, Karthikeyan allegedly tossed Sivasurya to the glass façade of a textile shop.
The glass shattered, and one of the shards pierced his abdomen. Writhing in pain, Sivasurya cried for help. The attackers, who had just stepped into youthhood, were petrified.
Immediately, they transported Sivasurya to Nemom taluk hospital on their two-wheeler. This unsafe hospital shift proved costly.
By the time they reached the hospital, the teenager was in a critical stage. He was soon moved to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Upon being alerted by the hospital authorities, the cops took the youths into custody, and the scared friends spilt the beans.
“The murder should not have happened. The matter over which they fought was trivial. Had they been able to bury the hatchet earlier, a life could’ve been saved,” a police officer with the probe team explains.
Barring one, none of the assailants had a criminal record, he adds.
“One of the youths had a criminal case for attacking another person. But that does not mean he is a habitual offender. This murder was a fallout of the altercation that occurred in the football turf,” the officer says.
The victim’s family has announced they will pursue the case legally until the accused receives the maximum punishment. Suresh Kumar, father of the victim, termed the murder as premeditated and planned.