MAYILADUTHURAI: The district and sessions court on Friday sentenced nine of the 22 accused in the 2022 murder of a 27-year-old history-sheeter and Mayiladuthurai town secretary of a caste outfit to life imprisonment. While one of the accused was murdered during the case trial, 12 others were acquitted. Judge Dr Sathyamurthi LS convicted D Kathiravan, G Deva, X Sethu, M Santhosh, P Divakar, K Karthik, S Subash Chandrabose, M Harish and K Prithviraj for murdering R Kannan of Kotha Street.
A fine of Rs 2,000 was also imposed on each of the convicts. Prabhakaran, also an accused in the case, was hospitalised and on oxygen support ahead of his conviction. Though brought to court in an ambulance on Friday, he couldn't be produced inside. The judge then headed to the portico where the ambulance was stationed and informed Prabhakaran lying inside that he has been acquitted along with 11 others.
The case goes back to November 20, 2021, when D Kathiravan (41), a prominent figure in the Dalit community at Kalaignar Nagar, was around 1.30 am engaged in a discussion with his friends about the Tamil film, 'Jai Bhim' at a local eatery. Kannan and his accomplices - all caste Hindus - then entered into an argument with Kathiravan and group over their conversation. It intensified when Kannan and group assaulted Kathiravan, leaving him with minor injuries, the police said.
Following the attack, the Mayiladuthurai Town police registered a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and arrested Kannan and five of his accomplices. Less than a year later, on August 17, 2022, things took a deadly turn when a group led by Kathiravan around 10.30 pm waylaid Kannan and his acquaintance, Ranjith, who were riding on a motorcycle, near the new Mayiladuthurai bus stand. Kathiravan and his accomplices then hacked the two with sickles, leaving Kannan dead on the spot. Ranjith, although grievously injured in the attack, survived.
Following inquiries, Kathiravan and 21 others - all of whom were Dalits - were arrested. The violence did not end there, as on March 20, 2024, in what the police described as an act of vengeance, Kannan's brother Chandramohan and his associates allegedly murdered Ajith Kumar (26), who was one among the accused in Kannan's murder. A total of 11 suspects were subsequently arrested on charges of murder as well as under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Public prosecutor R Seyon appeared for the prosecution.
