70-Year-Old SC Man Beaten to Death Over Suspicion of Idol Theft: Four Arrested

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Four individuals, including two SC women, have been apprehended by the authorities in Krishnagiri for allegedly wrongfully confining and fatally beating a 70-year-old SC man on suspicion of idol theft near Uthangarai.

The victim, identified as C Sekar from Chinna Kanakkanpatti, was reportedly taken from his residence by a group of caste Hindus from Oonampalayam on Saturday night. He was then subjected to relentless beatings until Sunday afternoon when he lost consciousness and ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

The daughter of the deceased, P Murugavalli, lodged a complaint with the Uthangarai police on Monday morning. The accused individuals have been identified as J Subramani (43) and S Iyappan (32) from Oonampalayam, both belonging to the caste Hindu community, as well as S Kannammal (65) and I Aruna (27) from Puliyandapatti, who share the same community as the victim.

According to Murugavalli, who resides in Elachur, Subramani and others from his village had been searching for her father since Wednesday. She recounted the events, stating, “On Saturday night, the caste Hindus apprehended my father near our home and severely beat him, demanding that he return a stolen idol. Ten individuals brought him to our house in the early hours of the morning, questioning us about the idol. When we informed them that we did not possess it, they mercilessly assaulted him and took both of us to Puliyandapatti near Mathur, insisting that we help them recover the alleged stolen item.”

The situation took a turn at Puliyandapatti when the group discovered several items stolen from a temple, including a pooja plate and bell, near Kannammal’s residence. Murugavalli continued, “Kannammal and Aruna attacked my father with a stick. My father, under the immense pain caused by the beatings, falsely confessed to knowing the whereabouts of the stolen items but maintained that he had not stolen them.”

Subsequently, the villagers of Puliyandapatti contacted the Mathur police, who instructed the group of caste Hindus to hand over Sekar and the temple items to the Uthangarai police. Murugavalli stated, “In front of me, he was brutally beaten, kicked in the chest, and even submerged in water.”

Meanwhile, Murugavalli’s mother went to the Uthangarai Police Station on Sunday morning to report her husband as missing. However, the police allegedly declined to accept her complaint. After Sekar lost consciousness, Murugavalli attempted to rush him to a hospital, but unfortunately, he passed away. Following the incident, the police, along with the Tamil Pazhankudi Kuravan Sangam, were alerted, and the body was sent to the Government Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital for autopsy. Murugavalli noted that she had mentioned four caste Hindus in her complaint but had not mentioned the involvement of the two SC women.

Uthangarai DSP Parthiban revealed that Sekar had been involved in at least 13 cases related to temple theft. He added that a case concerning Sekar’s death had been registered under sections 147, 342, 323, 324, 354, and 302 of the IPC, along with 3 (1) (r), 3 (1) (s), 3 (2) (v), and 3 (2) (va) of the SC/ST (PoA) Act. Kannammal and Aruna were charged based on a circulating video captured by the caste Hindus, which depicted them assaulting Sekar with a stick.

Krishnagiri SP Saroj Kumar Thakur assured that he is thoroughly investigating the matter and will take appropriate action as deemed necessary..