Maran alias Danusu, 48, an ambulance driver of Vaithikuppam, was hacked to death by a gang at the rear entrance of the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute at Gingee Salai here on Tuesday night. The crime was committed at around 8.40 p.m.
The police said Maran, who was running a private ambulance service near the hospital, was standing in front of the mortuary when a gang hacked him to death and fled the spot.
The police sent the body for post-mortem to the Government General Hospital at Kathirgamam. Enmity is said to be the reason behind the murder. The police are on the lookout for eight persons hailing from Vaithikuppam coastal hamlet.
As news of the murder spread, over 100 fisherfolk from Vaithikuppam on Wednesday attempted to lay siege to the Raj Nivas. The police had barricaded the roads leading to Raj Nivas and the protesters resorted to a sit-in near the building demanding the arrest of the killers immediately.
The fisherfolk alleged that Murthy, an anti-social element hailing from Vaithikuppam, was behind the murder. Although several murders had been reported in Vaithikuppam, the police were acting in a biased manner in investigating the cases, a resident alleged.
Police officials assured the protesters of prompt action. The fisherfolk refused to budge. They refused to receive the body until the culprits were arrested. They claimed that they did not have confidence in the assurance given by police officers and would continue to protest until they met Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi.
Bedi meets protesters
Ms. Bedi met the fisherfolk and assured them of expeditious action to nab the culprits and bring them to book. The protesters sought permanent solution to prevent such crimes.
The Lieutenant Governor discussed the issues with Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar and requested him to seek the assistance of the State Human Rights Committee chaired by Justice J.A.K. Sampath Kumar to examine the police arrangements for the safety of the fisherfolk and suggest a permanent remedy. Action would be taken on the report of the committee, she said. The fisherfolk ended their protest after the police pacified them and assured them again that their demand had been taken up by the higher-ups.
