Sporadic violence amplified using social media echo chamber: CM Stalin tells House

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday launched a spirited defence of his handling of the law and order situation in the State, responding to a debate in the Assembly.

Stalin clarified to the House that the number of murder and attempted murder cases has declined in the State in recent years. Pointing out that as many as 49,280 murder/murder attempts were recorded in 2023, the CM said that the firm measures taken by the State police have brought down the numbers to 31,498 in 2024. "We have reduced 17,782 crimes in one year. When some murder footage is posted on social media, a wrong notion is deliberately spread that more crimes are happening in the State. Actual numbers suggest that murders have come down by 6.8% in 2024. Compared to the corresponding year, murders have reduced by 109. Also, the number of revenge murders has reduced by 42.72% in 2024."

The Chief Minister also informed the House that additional police personnel were deployed in places with maximum footfall like festivals, recreation centres and tourist spots to prevent untoward incidents.

AIADMK regime saw a spike in murders even during COVID: Stalin

Drawing a parallel between the number of murders recorded in the previous AIADMK and the present DMK regimes, the Chief Minister said that a comparison of the year-wise murder data between 2012 and 2024 suggested that it was during the previous regime in 2012 that the maximum number of murders (1,943 murders) were recorded in a year.

CM pointed out that the number of murders was 1,927 in 2013. Even during the COVID lockdown period, 1,661 murders took place in 2020 under the AIADMK regime, while the lowest number (1,540) in the last 12 years was recorded in 2024 with 1,540 murders due to the stringent action of the State police in the DMK regime, CM said. “This is the truth. Neutral people and the general public have realized (it)."

The Chief Minister summed up his defence by arguing that the statistics presented by him would demonstrate how law and order deteriorated in the regime of those who are trying to score political brownie points by exploiting sporadic murder cases motivated by previous enmity.