Tamil Nadu BSP state president murdered: Who is K. Armstrong whose death has enraged the Bahujan community?
A staunch Ambedkarite and a devoted Buddhist, Armstrong boldly challenged the RSS in Tamil Nadu and strongly opposed the Dravidian caste system, shaking up the traditional vote bank politics.
Geeta Sunil Pillai
Published on: 06 Jul 2024, 12:29 pm
Chennai/Lucknow – The city of Chennai is in shock after the brutal murder of popular Dalit leader and Tamil Nadu Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief K Armstrong. Since Friday night, there is a gathering of BSP workers and supporters outside Chennai’s Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital, who are expressing their anger over this incident through road blockades, dharna demonstrations, etc.
Traffic was blocked on Poonamallee High Road, Bahujan Samaj Party workers and supporters blocked the road outside Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital. They are demanding a CBI inquiry into the case.
Armstrong was murdered by six unidentified assailants outside his house in Perambur on Friday evening. The fact that the local police station is just 100 metres away from the crime scene shows the audacity of the attackers and the deteriorating law and order situation in Tamil Nadu.
Armstrong was attacked by three bike-borne assailants dressed as Zomato delivery personnel wearing red T-shirts. The assailants were armed and the crime was premeditated.
According to The News Minute journalist Shabbir Ahmed, Chennai police late last night took Arcot Balu, brother of history-sheeter Arcot Suresh, along with seven others into custody in connection with the murder. Arcot Suresh was murdered in Chennai’s Srinivasapuram last year. Police suspect that it may be a revenge killing, and investigations are currently underway.
Armstrong, who began his political career as a councillor and contested against Chief Minister MK Stalin from Kolathur constituency, was well known and admired in north Chennai, especially in Jamalia, Sembium and surrounding areas.
However, his political life has been full of turbulence and he had 8 cases registered against him including murder in which he was later acquitted. After entering active politics, he focused his entire attention on social work and is known for helping many people.
The situation remained tense on Saturday as protests and road blockades by supporters over the brutal killing of their beloved leader continued. The protesters demanded immediate action and justice for Armstrong’s murder.
The police faced a lot of challenges in controlling the crowd gathered at various places. After this incident, the opposition’s attack on Chief Minister MK Stalin has intensified and people are demanding his resignation.
Reacting to the incident, BSP supremo Mayawati condemned the murder of Armstrong by sharing a post on her X handle.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister wrote, “The brutal murder of Tamil Nadu State Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Shri K. Armstrong outside his house in Chennai is extremely reprehensible and condemnable. A lawyer by profession, he was known as a strong voice of Dalits in the state. The state government should punish the culprits.” Mayawati further wrote, “Given the seriousness of this extremely sad and worrying incident, I have a program to go to Chennai tomorrow morning (Sunday) to pay my tributes to Shri Armstrong and meet his grieving family and console them. Everyone should maintain peace.”
Although the BSP had limited influence in Tamil Nadu, Armstrong, who led the state unit, was known for his involvement in local mediation and political activism. During the initial phase of his political journey, Armstrong entered active politics by coordinating rallies in Chennai for Mayawati and became a recognised Dalit leader in the city.
He dedicated his life to the revolutionary cause of spreading Ambedkar’s ideology and played an active role in propagating Buddhism in Tamil Nadu.
Armstrong visited Nagpur every year with several companions on the anniversary of Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism and also established a Buddhist monastery near his residence in Chennai-Perambur. Armstrong’s commitment to Buddhism and his belief in it as an alternative cultural path were deeply rooted in his activism.
Armstrong was also known for his contributions to education and the legal profession. He played an important role in training young lawyers and educating children from poor families.
Sharing her personal relationship with Armstrong, Dalit rights activist and author Shalin Maria Lawrence recalls her first meeting with him in 2018, when Armstrong gifted her a copy of the Indian Constitution. Shalin says he was the only Dalit leader and party president in Tamil Nadu who freed himself from the shackles of casteism and adopted Navayana Buddhism.
He devoted his resources to its revival through cultural festivals and educational initiatives for underprivileged Dalit youth. A staunch Ambedkarite and a devoted Buddhist, Armstrong boldly challenged the RSS in Tamil Nadu and strongly opposed the Dravidian caste system, shaking up the traditional vote bank politics.
Shalin says, “For the last 15 years Armstrong Anna has contributed a lot to Navayana Buddhism in the state. He built Viharas, held regular Buddhist conferences, conducted Buddhist marriages and attracted a lot of children to the counter culture and Ambedkarism. Every week you can see children dressed in white and white clothes visiting his Vihara in Chennai to practice Buddhist rituals. There was always peace around him and it was a safe place for children and even elders from different castes.
