CHENNAI: Two youth were injured after a gang attacked them with machetes in Manamadurai town of Sivaganga district, in the second such violent incident reported in the area within a week.
Police said a three-member gang chased and hacked Jayakumar (26) and Azhagar (29), residents of Sion Nagar, late at night on Thursday.
The attack comes days after another violent incident near Idaikattur near Manamadurai, where a group that arrived on motorcycles allegedly assaulted several people with machetes, triggering concern among residents.
In the latest incident, Jayakumar, who works at a chicken shop, and Azhagar, an employee at a hotel, were standing along a roadside in Sion Nagar after returning from work when the gang approached them on a motorcycle.
According to police, the assailants chased the two men and attacked them with machetes before fleeing from the spot.
The injured men were admitted to the Sivaganga Government Medical College Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment.
Jayakumar told police that the attackers had earlier rammed their motorcycle, which led to an argument. He said the gang returned shortly afterwards and carried out the attack.
Police said the incident was captured on CCTV cameras in the locality, and the footage has circulated on social media.
Manamadurai police have registered a case and are investigating the incident. Efforts are under way to identify and trace the attackers.
Five persons, including a minor, were arrested for allegedly attacking four SC men with machetes after entering a residential area in a village near Manamadurai in Sivaganga district, police said.
According to a Thanthi TV bulletin, the incident took place in Idaikattur village, where Raju (32), a painter belonging to a Scheduled Caste community, was standing in a market street on the afternoon of March 3.
At that time, an argument broke out between Pandiyarajan of Chettikulam and Maheswaran of V Pudukulam. Maheswaran later picked a quarrel with Raju as well. The trio eventually dispersed and returned to their homes.
However, later that night, Maheswaran allegedly returned with eight associates on three two-wheelers, armed with machetes and other weapons, and entered the residential area where Raju lived.
The group allegedly attacked Raju with a machete. His relatives, Dinesh, Rajendran and Subramani, who tried to intervene, were also assaulted. The assailants later went to Chettikulam and vandalised Pandiyarajan’s house.
All four injured persons were admitted to the government hospital in Sivaganga. While the others have been discharged after treatment, Raju continues to undergo treatment.
Manamadurai police had registered a case and launched an investigation under the supervision of District Superintendent of Police Shiva Prasad.
Police arrested Irulappan (31), Balamurugan (22), Velmurugan (20) from V Pudukulam, Bharathi (19) from Vembathur and a minor in connection with the attack. Efforts are on to nab the remaining accused.
Raju alleged that two men had asked about his caste before attacking him in the market area earlier in the day. He said that later a group of nine men entered their residential area and assaulted him and his relatives with machetes.
Rajendran, another injured person, claimed the police initially did not conduct a proper inquiry and even threatened people to delete CCTV footage. He alleged that arrests were made only after the video surfaced on social media.
However, Sivaganga Superintendent of Police SP Shiva Prasad said the violence was triggered by a verbal altercation between Pandiyarajan and Maheswaran, and not due to caste tensions.
He said two cases have been registered, one based on Raju’s complaint regarding the assault and another based on a complaint by Pandiyarajan’s wife regarding the vandalism of their house. Police said the remaining suspects would be arrested soon.