Elderly man attacked, son blames DMK functionary

The incident happened on Saturday evening when the victim, Gabriel (65), was sitting in front of his apartment at Sudhandhiram Nagar. Around 6 pm, an SUV with a DMK flag in the front passed by his house and came back in reverse. When the car hit a two-wheeler, Gabriel waved at the car to stop.

To his shock, a group of men got down from the car and started to beat him up. A video of the incident went viral on social media on Sunday, in which a woman abuses the girl who recorded the video.

Speaking to DT Next, Gabriel’s son Francis alleged that the attack was a fallout of a previous enmity and the gang comprises family members of DMK functionary Manikkam. “In 2017, when my friends celebrated my birthday in front of my house, they came and attacked us as they wanted to control the area. Seven persons were arrested in the case and now they have come back for revenge,” said Francis, who works in a private firm.

He said that Manikkam, his wife Vetriselvi, mother Selvi, son Prathesh and their relative James were present at the spot when he was attacked on Saturday. When contacted, the Thousand Lights police said that they have registered a case and have collected CCTV footage from the locality in which the entire incident has been recorded. “Suitable action will be initiated once investigation is completed,” the police said.