Coimbatore

Police said Arumugam, the former panchayat vice president, had approached Senthil Kumar seeking his support to make his wife vice president of Irukkur panchayat in the local body polls held on December 27. However, Kumar refused and this resulted in animosity between the two and on December 30, Arumugam along with his friend Saravanan, a sanitary worker, invited Kumar and his friend Thiyagaraj to a liquor party. They all consumed liquor near Irukkur panchayat office building and immediately after Kumar and Thyagarajan fell ill and were admitted to a Coimbatore hospital. Inquiries revealed they were given acid mixed with liquor. Kumar died without responding to treatment, while Thyagarajan is critical at an Erode hospital. Following this, the police arrested Saravanan and Arumugam on Thursday night. They were produced in court and are lodged in Salem Central Prison.