TENKASI: A 27-year-old temporary worker of Sengottai municipality was allegedly hacked to death by two persons on the municipality office campus on Wednesday. The suspects were arrested in Ambasamudram.
According to sources, the deceased was identified as M Rajesh of Viswanathapuram whose mother Tamilselvi is a member of DMK’s district general council and the former chairperson of Tenkasi union panchayat council. The Sengottai police identified the suspects as S Manthiramoorthi (22) and S Mari (19), the residents of Nanguneri of Tirunelveli district.
“While Rajesh belonged scheduled caste community, the suspects belong to an MBC community. Manthiramoorthi and Mari, who were working in a canteen in Sengottai, had a previous enmity with Rajesh. On Wednesday, the bike-borne duo followed Rajesh who was also on his two-wheeler headed toward the municipality office. The duo parked their two-wheeler near the office and attacked Rajesh with a sickle. The police recovered CCTV footage, in which the accused persons were seen fleeing the scene of the crime,” sources added.
The body of Rajesh was recovered by the police and sent to the District Government Headquarters Hospital, Tenkasi for postmortem. Soon after the incident, the relatives of Rajesh staged a blockade on the Kollam - Thirumangalam road.
About 200 police personnel were deployed on the spot and the Superintendent of Police E T Samson conducted a talk with the protesters to disperse them. The police arrested Manthiramoorthi and Mari who attempted to surrender before the Ambasamudram Judicial Magistrate court.