A man aged 45, a functionary of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the ruling government in Tamil Nadu, was hacked to death by a five-member gang in Chennai’s upscale Adyar area on Saturday night, the police said. The murder soon devolved into a political row over the city’s law and order situation.

All five accused, aged close to 20, have been arrested in connection with the incident. Police said that as per a preliminary probe, the killing stemmed from an old rivalry.

The man who was murdered has been identified as S Kannan (45), a history sheeter, whose killing was captured on a surveillance camera, and the video of the same has been making rounds on social media.

Kannan attacked with machetes

One of Kannan’s friends was present at the scene when the incident took place. He said he and a group of friends were talking to Kanna at around 9:45 pm on Saturday.

He went on to say that two men wearing helmets arrived on a bike and attacked Kannan with knives. Soon after this, three more people arrived on two-wheelers and attacked Kannan with machetes.

His friend told the media, “We ran away as they tried to attack us too. We could not recognise them.” A senior police officer said Kannan died at the spot after sustaining grievous injuries, and a case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Kannan’s uncle Purushothamman.

Police learnt that Kannan lived in Vannandurai, Adyar, and used to run a car-rental business which catered to Information Technology (IT) companies. Owing to the fact that he was a history sheeter, police regularly monitored his activities.

Murder dating back to 2009 linked to Kannan’s killing

Chennai Police Commissioner A Amalraj directed the police to constitute a special police team, which swooped down on the accused, identified as Bharani, Rakesh, Naresh, Manikandan and Hariharan, all aged 20. Various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) were invoked against them.

Police suspect that the murder stemmed from a long-standing personal feud, as Kannan and his aides had allegedly murdered Siva, Bharani’s maternal uncle, in 2009. Adding to this is the fact that Bharani’s father, Velu, had also been murdered in the Saidapet area of the city. Police said the previous enmity triggered Bharani and his accomplices to hatch a conspiracy and murder Kannan.

Stalin tears into TVK government

Opposition parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the TVK and questioned its handling of law and order.

DMK leader and Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin took a swipe at the TVK, pointing out that the killing took place shortly before the state’s Chief Minister (CM) C Joseph Vijay is scheduled to respond to the debate on the police department’s demand for grants on Monday.

Stalin questioned whether the incident reflected the government’s claims about maintaining law and order in Tamil Nadu. He said the government should prioritise public safety rather than trying to blame the DMK.

BJP, PMK echo similar concerns

Similarly, BJP spokespersons Narayanan Thirupathy said the situation on the ground remained unchanged despite a tremendous shift in the government. He called the murder ‘shocking’ and said the police should focus on preventing crime rather than merely responding after incidents occur.

PMK MP Anbumani Ramadoss said the killing had sparked fear among the public and alleged that effective measures had not been taken to prevent murders and robberies in Chennai and its suburbs.