Kachanatham murder case: 'Grim reminder of caste inequality'

CHENNAI: A Special Court in Sivaganga imposed life sentences on 27 convicts in the Kachanatham triple murder case.

The court for the exclusive trial of cases under the SC/ST (PoA) Act in Sivaganga pronounced the sentence on Friday. On August 1, Judge Muthukumaran convicted all 27 accused.

The triple murder took place on May 28, 2018, when an armed gang from a dominant community attacked some people indiscriminately in the Kachanatham village in the Sivaganga district.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court while rejecting the bail plea of some of the accused in 2019 had stated that the brutal manner in which a group of men from the dominant community had murdered people from Scheduled Castes was a grim reminder of the ugly face of caste inequality in Sivaganga district and that it had a telling effect on the peace and tranquillity in the village.

Victims: K Arumugam (65), Deiventhiran’s father, V Chandrasekhar (34) and A Shanmuganathan, an MBA graduate were killed. Six others suffered grievous injuries.

Action taken: A total of 27 persons were arrested. Of them, four of the key accused- Chandrakumar (47), his sons, Suman (23), Arun Kumar (21) and their friend Agni Raj (21) were detained under the Goondas Act. In the wake of the incident, Palayanur police filed cases against 33 persons.

It may be noted that one person has been absconding and one person died during the trial in the case.

What happened?

The fateful incident occurred on the night of May 28 in 2018 at the village over an issue of getting ‘first respect’ during a temple festival between the Dalits of Kachanatham village and a group of upper caste Hindus of Avarangadu

The fight between Devendra Kula Vellalars and Agamudayars in the region took a horrific turn after an argument between Deiventhiran, a Lance naik in the Indian Army of the Devendra Kula Vellalar Community and Suman of the Agamudayar community. Suman charged with a weapon towards the Armyman and his friend, who preferred a police complaint. The same night, Suman gathered a mob and attacked the villagers.

Police reshuffle in Sivaganga district:

Even after complaints were filed, police reportedly did not take appropriate action, which led to the brutal attacks.

SP T Jeyachandran had then suspended two sub-inspectors Selvam and Janakiraman after the top brass suspected them of colluding with the accused. The policemen attached to the Palayanoor police station didn't take appropriate action on a complaint filed by the villagers.

Meanwhile, other personnel of the station were also transferred. When asked, SP Jeyachandran, maintained that the transfers were part of a reshuffle in the entire district.

After the murder in Kachanatham, 12 policemen from Palayanoor police station in Sivaganga district were transferred.

Accused's death:

The Sivaganga police launched a hunt for suspects in the murder of a 19-year-old who was named an accused in the “Kachanatham” case.

B Prasanth alias Arul Pandi, a school drop-out, was found dead with a slit throat and cut injuries on his limbs near Velangulam water tank in Padamathur. He was part of the mob that carried out the attack but was named in the initial FIR.

He along with another teenager was granted bail by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, last October, with directions to report before the Mahatma Gandhi Museum on the first Monday of every month between 10 am till 5 pm, to learn the teachings of the Mahatma. The court also restrained the duo from entering their village until the trial ends and directed them to participate in the trial.

Meanwhile, police investigations revealed that Prasanth left home on Saturday, but never returned. “Preliminary investigations have revealed that he was seen with three of his friends. The trio is at large. If they are apprehended, there might be answers to what might have happened,” Deputy Superintendent of Police, G Karthikeyan had said.