MADURAI: A 25-year-old murder accused, S. Mayandi alias Palla Mayandi, was brutally hacked to death outside the Tirunelveli district court premises in Tamil Nadu on Friday. The incident occurred as Mayandi arrived to attend a court hearing. The assailants mutilated his face before fleeing the scene.
Police and bystanders, including advocates, managed to overpower one of the attackers, while four others were arrested shortly afterward.
Mayandi was one of the main accused in the murder of Dalit panchayat ward member N. Rajamani, 32, of Keelanatham, on August 13, 2022. He was arrested within days of the incident, and the Goondas Act was invoked against him in September 2023. Mayandi was released on bail in January.
On Friday, as Mayandi approached the court, a gang surrounded him. Despite his efforts to evade them and seek refuge in the court premises, the attackers caught up with him. A special sub-inspector attempted to intervene, but the gang managed to overpower Mayandi and attack him with sickles.
The gruesome murder drew sharp criticism of the state government’s handling of law and order. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran, and V.K. Sasikala condemned the incident, holding the government responsible for the deteriorating security situation in the state.
