Encounter killings fail to deter gangsters thirsting for revenge in Tamil Nadu

A spate of revenge killings and encounter killings in Tamil Nadu is exposing the underbelly of a criminal underworld that has been thriving in the state. What is more alarming is that the gangsters and thugs take refuge under political parties to hide their nefarious activities. But they cannot escape the fallout of personal enmity.

On Tuesday morning history sheeter and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) north-Madurai deputy secretary 'Punk' Bala alias C Balasubramanian was hacked to death in Madurai when he was on his morning walk. Balasubramanian had several cases against him, including a few murder cases; a revenge killing is seen as an unsurprising reason. Police, however, claimed that a family dispute was behind the killing, executed by some unidentified youths.

On Thursday, another history sheeter, 'MGR Nagar' Dorai alias Doraisamy was killed in a police encounter in an eucalyptus grove near Pudukkottai (neighbouring Trichy). He used to operate in the central districts of Pudukkottai, Tiruchirapalli, Ariyalur and Thanjavur.

The high profile murder of the BSP state president K Armstrong was a case of revenge killing. Though he was acquitted by the courts in the criminal cases against him, he was known to have a criminal past. The accused in his murder, K Thiruvengadam, a history sheeter, with even murder cases against him, was shot dead in a police encounter on Sunday. Thiruvengadam was also an accused in the murder of another BSP functionary, Thennarasu alias Thenna of Thiruvallur in 2015.

Around the time Armstrong was killed, in another gang war, history sheeter Muruganandam was killed by unidentified persons when he was returning after the hearing on a 2022 ganja case in a special court in Madurai.

In fact, an argument is raging between BJP state president K Annamalai and the TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai as the former alleged that the latter is a history sheeter. Selvaperunthagai has demanded an apology from Annamalai, a former cop and has threatened to file a defamation case against him. However, Annamalai has refused to apologise.

It is not unusual for thugs and gangsters to take refuge in a political party, as they yearn for respectability. Some are even rewarded with posts, based on their performance and ability as a party worker.

In the southern parts of Tamil Nadu - in the Madurai-Tirunelveli region, where caste wars are rampant, especially among Thevars and Dalits, revenge killing is almost an accepted norm. Revenge killings and honour killings are more evident in inter- caste marriages and family disputes.

If the police thought that the 'encounter' killing of Thiruvengadam would end the spate of revenge murders, they were proved wrong in just a couple of days.