Southern States - Tamil Nadu

RSS man murdered, Kovai tense

By V.S. Palaniappan

COIMBATORE March 28. The murder of an RSS activist, R. Murugesan (35), near here this morning sparked tension in the sensitive pockets of the city and suburbs. This was the second incident which occurred in the city in the last 36 hours.

According to the police, the Coimbatore South Taluk propaganda secretary of the RSS was intercepted by a six-member gang, as he was on his way to his photocopier shop after prayers at the Badrakaliamman temple.

The gang, which came on two motorcycles and a scooter, split into two groups. While three of them kept the two-wheelers ready on the main road, the others stabbed Murugesan. His body was found lying in a pool of blood with multiple injuries.

The murder led to communal unease in the West sub-division of Coimbatore as well as Podanur, a sensitive pocket. A large number of RSS activists gathered at the CMC hospital to receive the body and a surcharged atmosphere prevailed there. The body was taken to the victim's house in procession amid tight bandobust. It wound its way through the sensitive pockets and passed off peacefully. Some of the shops in the Kuniamuthur area remained closed during the procession.

The Additional Director-General (Law and Order), K. Natarajan, said the police could not come to a conclusion whether it was ``a communal murder or a crime committed out of personal enmity''.

Claiming that there were definite clues to the culprits, he said four special teams were formed to nab them.

Four companies of the CRPF, three of the Tamil Nadu Special Police and the Rapid Action Force and the Swift Action Force in strength have been mobilised. Reinforcements from the Nilgiris, Erode, Karur, Tiruchi, Madurai and other southern districts were also being rushed to Coimbatore.

The murder was being seen as a retaliation for Tuesday's murder of Sultan Meeran, a medical shop owner, at RS Puram.

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