Armed security for slain TN BSP chief Armstrong's family after threat letter

CHENNAI: Armed police personnel have been assigned to protect slain state Bahujan Samaj Party chief K Armstrong's wife and daughter, after they allegedly received a threatening letter. Police sources said that a person identifying himself as Sathish had posted a threat letter to their residence in Sembium, which is unoccupied at present. The letter also threatened that the child would be kidnapped.

Following the threats, the police have intensified security at Armstrong's Ayanavaram apartment where his wife Porkodi is living along with their daughter. Two armed women police personnel have been assigned to protect Porkodi while an armed policeman will be posted outside the apartment complex.

Meanwhile, Sembium Police have initiated investigations to identify the sender. 

Following Armstrong's murder on July 5, his wife Porkodi was made the state coordinator of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The 53-year-old Dalit leader and advocate K Armstrong was outside his under-construction house on Venugopal Swamy Koil Street in Perambur with his brother, Veeramani, and friends, Balaji and Abdul Ghani, when a six-member gang arrived in bikes and hacked him to death.

Eight persons including the brother of slain rowdy Arcot V Suresh were arrested within three hours of the murder. So far, the police have arrested 21 persons including functionaries from the BJP, the DMK, the AIADMK, and the Tamil Manila Congress in connection with Armstrong's murder.

On July 14, one of the suspects, Thiruvengadam (33), was shot dead in a police 'encounter' as he had allegedly tried to flee and open fire when brought by the cops to a hideout along the Madhavaram lakeside to recover the weapons used in Armstrong's murder.