Residents of Keelaseval in TN protest painter's murder amid caste rivalry

Sources said, the three SC men hacked the painter, identified as M Manikandan from Keelaseval, to death while he was standing in front of the Karunkulam TASMAC outlet.
Residents of Keelaseval staged a protest in Melaseval demanding justice for a painters murder which took place on Friday night.
Residents of Keelaseval staged a protest in Melaseval demanding justice for a painters murder which took place on Friday night.(Photo | V.Karthikalagu, EPS)
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TIRUNELVELI: Condemning the murder of a painter, residents of Keelaseval staged a protest on the side of Tirunelveli-Ambasamudram road in Melaseval here on Sunday.

The painter, belonging to an MBC community, was allegedly killed on Friday night by three SC men in retaliation for the previous murder of an SC man. This is the sixth consecutive murder, resulting from the rivalry between the MBC and SC communities in this region.

Sources said, the three SC men hacked the painter, identified as M Manikandan from Keelaseval, to death while he was standing in front of the Karunkulam TASMAC outlet. Based on a complaint filed by Manikandan's brother, Esakkimuthu, the Melapalayam police registered a case against the trio and launched a search for them.

All three suspects, identified as Anandaraj, Maharajan and Maharajan, surrendered at the Tirunelveli judicial magistrate court on Saturday. They were subsequently lodged in Palayamkottai central prison.

Condemning Manikandan's murder, MBC residents of Keelaseval staged a protest, demanding a job, house, and compensation for Manikandan's wife and six-year-old child. Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan and Cheranmahadevi Sub-Collector Arpit Jain held talks with the protesters and dispersed them.

It all started with Dharmaraj's murder

In 2010, an enmity arose between the MBC and SC communities after a group damaged the flagpole of another. Over this enmity, in 2013, an SC man, Dharmaraj, was murdered by MBC individuals near Gopalasamuthiram. In retaliation, Karthik, a member of the MBC community, was killed by SC individuals. Subsequently, in the Kothankulam area, Manthiram, an SC man, was murdered by MBC men.

In September 2021, some SC men beheaded Sankara Subramanian (37) near Munneerpallam and placed his head on Manthiram's grave. Two days later, MBC men retaliated by beheading Mariappan, an SC man from Gopalasamuthiram, and leaving his head at the spot where Sankara Subramanian was killed, despite heightened police deployment in the villages. After three years of silence, the murder of Manikandan by SC men has reignited tensions.

Activists have demanded the intervention of higher officials and people representatives to end the caste-based retaliatory killings by organising peace talks. When contacted, SP Silambarasan said that law enforcement is on high alert.

"Around 950 police personnel were deployed in the region to avoid any untoward incidents. Only after the detailed investigation by the Melapalayam police, we can come to know if Manikandan's murder has any connection with the previous retaliatory murders," he added.

Meanwhile, based on Silambarasan's recommendation, Collector Dr K P Karthikeyan ordered the detention of Devendra Kula Vellalar Ezhuchi Iyakkam president Kannapiran alias Kanthasamy (45) and Siva alias Rocky Siva (28) under National Security Act for creating issues between different communities. The duo was lodged in Cuddalore central prison, according to a statement from the police.

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