Previous enmity and ego clash between two groups of men had claimed the life of Arun prakash (24) of Vasantha Nagar here on August 31, the police said on Thursday.
BJP and Hindu Munnani functionaries here termed the murder of Arun prakash as a communal attack. The State government shifted the Superintendent of Police V Varun Kumar without any new posting soon after the murder. E Karthik Deputy Commissioner from Flower Bazaar, Chennai, was posted in his place. The new SP, who held a review meeting, was informed about the circumstances which led to the murder. Profiles of each suspect were examined at the meeting.
Even as the police were on the lookout for suspects, four among them surrendered before the Lalgudi Judicial Magistrate Court on September 2.
Another two persons surrendered before the Aruppukottai JM Court on September 8. The police arrested another accused, seized a two-wheeler and a mobile phone after taking him into custody.
A senior police officer said Arun Prakash was active in the conduct of Vinayaka Chaturthi but there was no motive to murder him by anybody.
Investigations revealed that Kamatchi, a friend of Arun Prakash, picked up a quarrel with another group and the wordy duel irked the group. In a bid to settle score, the rivals wanted to kill Kamatchi on August 31. He escaped but Arun prakash and his friend Yogeswaran were attacked.
The names of the accused included Saddam Hussein (21), Sheik alias Left Sheik (24), Mohamed Ajis (21), Kasim Rahman (24), Rasik Ali (23), Saravanan (24), Vijay (22) and Haran alias Hariharan (23).
The police were in the process of securing a few more suspects, who had knowledge about the clash and the special teams would arrest them soon, the officer said.