CHENNAI: Traffic came to a standstill on Tiruvallur High Road after supporters of a slain AIADMK functionary staged a ‘road roko’ for nearly 2 hours on Sunday evening before they were dispersed by the police with lathis.
A 49-year-old AIADMK functionary and realtor was hacked to death by a gang in Red Hills on Sunday. Police said Kottaisamy,(49), joint-secretary of Amma Peravai, Sholavaram unit, and a resident of Solaiyamman Nagar, Red Hills, went out on Sunday along with his friends to Eeswaran Nagar, in Pammadukulam village, 4 km from his home for a booze party. An hour into the session, a gang arriving in a couple of two-wheelers attacked Kottaisamy with sickles and machetes. Kottaisamy who collapsed in the attack was rushed to the Government Stanley Hospital where the doctors declared him dead-on-arrival.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Kottaisamy was at loggerheads with the local civic body chief and with other civic body members in connection with a land deal. Kottaisamy’s quick accumulation of wealth was believed to be one of the primary motives behind the murder. Earlier in June, an attempt was made to kill Kottaisamy which he survived while his cousin suffered grievous injuries. A few persons from the locality were arrested following this incident.
Meanwhile, villagers and supporters of the slain leader protested on the road seeking action against the real culprits. The supporters claimed that if the cops had arrested those responsible behind the previous attack, the murder of Kottaisamy would not have occurred.
The road block which began at 5.30 p.m. lasted until 7.30 p.m. Cops resorted to a lathicharge after all efforts to pacify the protesters failed. A civic body member of Nalloor Panchayat and another individual were taken into police custody for interrogation.