Delays in official communication from the Tiruchy district police have sparked a wave of misinformation on social media in recent weeks. On October 31, a 22-year-old woman’s charred body found in Sanamangalam forest was wrongly reported online as a murder, though police later confirmed it was a suicide.
In another case, a retired tahsildar killed in a land dispute was falsely said to have been beheaded. Journalists allege that senior officials rarely respond to calls without the SP’s approval, leaving local units hesitant to share updates. Media representatives have urged authorities to bridge this communication gap to curb rumours.
P Thiruselvam
A promise unkept
With the Assembly election fast approaching, the DMK government’s unfulfilled promises are beginning to unsettle its allies. During Chief Minister M K Stalin’s recent visit to Tenkasi, Congress MLA Palani Nadar appeared visibly upset on stage.
Speaking to reporters later, he said, “The chief minister had promised to implement the Rettaikulam Kalvai scheme during the 2021 election campaign in Alangulam, but it remains unfulfilled. I now fear seeking votes from the people. Farmers scold me, saying we lied to them and conspired to deceive everyone. I am deeply hurt — that is why I chose to speak to the media,” he said.
Thinakaran Rajamani
Missing child tale
On Friday morning, several Tamil television channels went into overdrive, flashing alerts that a 12-year-old girl had gone missing from Kannagi Nagar in Chennai, hinting at a possible kidnapping. Panic spread before facts caught up. By afternoon, police stepped in — not to chase suspects, but to quell rumours.
It later emerged that the Class 6 student had simply gone to a relative’s house a street away after school and stayed the night there. The girl was safely reunited with her parents, but the day’s frenzy outpaced the truth.
Gautham Selvarajan
MLA steps back from glare
Even as most DMK MLAs are busy lobbying to retain their seats ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, an unusual buzz is heard in Tiruchy East. The constituency’s MLA, S Inigo Irudayaraj, is learnt to have told his close aides that he is not keen on recontesting, citing alleged interference and pressure from district ministers K N Nehru and Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. His reluctance has triggered quiet but intense activity within the local unit, with a few ambitious functionaries scrambling to project themselves as contenders.
Some have even enlisted external strategists to strengthen their case, making Tiruchy East a seat to watch within the DMK in the months ahead.
Kumaresan S
Compiled by Dinesh Jefferson E