This is not all. The state-owned liquor retail shops, TASMAC, witnessed four murders in May and June, including that of an employee who was killed after a fight over the quality of liquor.

There have also been murders due to rivalry between organisations. A gang killed the president of a drivers’ union on May 31. Two days later, Thirunavukkarasu, a rowdy, was hacked to death by a gang of four. In the next three weeks, there was a murder every week — a rowdy done in by his rivals in the suburb, a thief killed, and another rowdy killed at a liquor shop.

On July 3, 35-year-old Suresh Kumar was stabbed 13 times by a gang at a bus stop. Though it was night, there were people at the bus stop and the local police station was quite nearby. However, these did not prevent the gang from killing him on the spot. The strings were allegedly pulled by a woman peddler, at present in prison, who believed that Suresh was involved in her son’s murder. The murder was committed on the fifth anniversary of her son’s death.

The Dinakaran daily recently reported that there have been 23 murders in the recent past. The police commissioner clarified that there were only 18. Politicians, meanwhile, are indulging in blame game. After parting ways with the DMK, the PMK had alleged that the state police had let a gangster go scot-free after the intervention of a senior minister. Though the police did not deny nabbing him, they said they had to let him go as there was nothing to charge him with.

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