A series of violent incidents across Tamil Nadu during the Diwali festival resulted in the deaths of 13 people, including a police officer. The victims were killed in various locations across the state under different circumstances, ranging from disputes over firecrackers to personal vendettas.
In Theni, Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) Senthilkumar, 57, was killed while attempting to intervene in a public disturbance. While returning home from duty on Diwali night, the officer encountered a group of youths setting off loud firecrackers and recording videos on a main road. When Senthilkumar confronted them, the group attacked him, causing him to collapse. He later died while being transported to the Theni Government Medical College Hospital. Six individuals, including a law student, have been arrested in connection with the murder. Chief Minister Vijay expressed his condolences, describing the death as an irreparable loss to the police force and the officer's family, and announced a solatium of Rs 40 lakh for the bereaved family.
In Trichy, two teenagers, Vishal, 17, and his cousin Rahul, 17, were hacked to death near the Pullambadi canal. Police are currently questioning three suspects identified through CCTV footage. In a separate incident in the same district, 21-year-old IT professional Christopher was killed during an argument with a local man, Donald, 28, over the bursting of firecrackers. Police reported that Donald allegedly stabbed Christopher in the chest with a spanner. Meanwhile, in Perambalur, a 50-year-old laborer named Ravi was beaten to death with an iron rod by a local man, Arulraj, after Ravi objected to fireworks being set off near a temple where he was sleeping.
Violence also erupted in Cuddalore, where a history-sheeter named Prithvirajan, 26, was killed following a dispute with two brothers, Arularasan and Anbarasan. While Anbarasan was apprehended in a nearby cashew grove, police pursued Arularasan, who attacked a sub-inspector with a knife before being shot and captured by an inspector. In Kallakurichi, 70-year-old Balasubramanian died after a property dispute with his nephew, Thanigaivel, 35, turned physical. In Chennai, 19-year-old auto driver Dhanush was killed by a group of men after he attempted to mediate a dispute involving his brother.
Other fatalities reported include 32-year-old Parthiban, whose body was found near railway tracks in Kanchipuram with severe head injuries, and 26-year-old Naveen, a history-sheeter in Karaikudi who was killed by a group in a forest area. In Manamadurai, 24-year-old Vignesh was hacked to death by an unidentified gang. In Dindigul, 28-year-old Ajithkumar surrendered to police after murdering his wife, Swetha, 26, following a domestic dispute. Finally, in Virudhunagar, 25-year-old laborer Anbuselvam was killed during a drunken brawl; police have arrested six people, including a 14-year-old boy, in connection with the case.
