MADURAI: The police arrested seven persons in connection with the attack on the Deputy Superintendent of Police during a protest over a murder in Aruppukottai of Virudhunagar district on Tuesday.

The police identified the accused as A Balamurugan of Nellikulam, K Pon Murugan of Perumalthevanpatti, M Jeyaraman, M Saikumar, P Balaji, Suriya of Ammanpatti and C Kalimuthu of Ammanpatti. All the arrested have been remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday. In addition, the police have launched a manhunt to trace I Murugesan of Muthupatti, who remains absconding in the case, and other suspects, the sources said.

Aruppukottai Deputy Superintendent of Police Gayathri was attacked during a protest over the murder of a 28-year-old man identified as Kalikumar of Perumalthevanpatti village, Ramanathapuram district. Kalikumar, a truck driver, was murdered in broad daylight by an armed gang at Kethanaickenpatti village near Tiruchuli in Virudhunagar on Monday.

The relatives staged a protest and appealed to the police to immediately arrest the culprits behind the murder. As the protesters refused to disperse, chaos ensued and one of the protesters became unruly when the DSP was trying to pacify them and physically assaulted her. The incident occurred on Pandalkudi Road in Aruppukottai Town on Tuesday.

Based on a complaint lodged by Sub Inspector Muthuraj following the attack, the Aruppukottai Town police have filed a case against 116 persons including several women under Sections 189 (2), 191 (2), 126 (2), 296 (b), 132, 195, 121 (1), 351 (3) BNS r/w 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, sources said.