TN: Disabled Dalit man, Odisha migrant worker killed in caste attack; accused linked to previous caste violence
Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly M. Appavu comforts the family of the injured at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital on March 3, 2026
A horrific incident of alleged caste violence has been reported from Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, where a disabled Dalit man and a migrant worker from Odisha were killed in a brutal attack in Perumpaththu village.
It has also emerged that two of the accused had previously been charged in another caste attack a few years ago, though their identities were withheld then under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
According to reports, on March 2, seven men armed with sickles carried out an indiscriminate attack in Perumpaththu village, near Nanguneri.
The assault left two people dead, a disabled Dalit man and a migrant labourer from Odisha, while six others, including members of an Other Backward Class (OBC) community, sustained injuries.
Police have arrested seven accused, identified as Kannan (21), Vasantha Kumar (21), Anthony Michel (18), Uchimahali alias Mittai (20), Raja alias Esakkiraja (19), Subbaia alias Subash (19), and Kalyani (19).
While police initially did not confirm the motive behind the attack, reports now indicate that the assault was allegedly planned by a group of young men from dominant intermediate castes to intimidate and silence Dalit youth in the area.
One of the accused is reportedly the nephew of R. S. Sudalaikannu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) union secretary of Nanguneri. However, Sudalaikannu has stated that he has had no contact with his nephew for the past five years.
The region had only recently begun recovering from another caste-related attack. In August 2023, seven teenage boys from the Maravar (Most Backward Class) community allegedly attacked a Dalit student, Chinnadurai, with sickles inside his home in Nanguneri town. Chinnadurai survived the assault but was grievously injured, while his 13-year-old sister, who rushed to help him, was also wounded.
The attackers were reportedly angered by Chinnadurai’s academic success, and he had allegedly faced caste-based harassment for several years before the assault.
Following the 2023 attack and the public outrage that followed, the Tamil Nadu government appointed a one-person commission headed by retired Justice K. Chandru. After its investigation, the commission recommended banning the wearing of coloured threads and other caste markers in schools.
Meanwhile, residents of Perumpaththu village from both Backward Class (BC) and Dalit communities staged protests after the latest attack.
On Wednesday afternoon, the family of Odisha migrant worker D. Trinath Kata received his body and cremated it at the Tirunelveli Corporation crematorium, while also seeking financial assistance from the Tamil Nadu and Odisha governments.
Meanwhile, the family of John Mark, the Scheduled Caste victim, refused to receive his body, demanding the arrest of all those involved and strict action against the culprits.
The Tirunelveli District Police on Wednesday said that all the accused involved in the March 2 murder incident at Perumpathu village near Nanguneri have been secured, arrested, and remanded to judicial custody following an investigation by the Nanguneri Police Station.
In a statement, police said they had also noticed several individuals posting provocative and divisive content on social media related to the incident, using abusive and inflammatory language that could disturb public peace and law and order.
Authorities said legal action has been initiated against those spreading such objectionable content online. Cases have already been registered at the Vijayanarayanam Police Station and Nanguneri Police Station, and efforts are underway to identify and arrest those responsible for the posts.
Prassanna Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Tirunelveli district, warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone spreading provocative, divisive, or violence-inciting content on social media.
Police also urged the public to avoid sharing misleading or inflammatory messages online and to act responsibly in the interest of communal harmony and public peace.
Courtesy : Maktoob Media
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