AIADMK General Secretary and Opposition leader in the assembly Edappadi K. Palaniswami raised serious doubts over the police encounter of Thiruvengadam, a known rowdy element allegedly linked to the murder of Tamil Nadu Bahujan Samaj Party leader Armstrong. He questioned whether the encounter was staged to prevent Thiruvengadam from testifying in court and to shield the actual perpetrators behind the murder.
The issue came up during a discussion in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly over funding for the police department. AIADMK MLA O.S. Manian criticized the DMK government, stating that many of the promises made to the police before taking office remain unfulfilled. He contrasted the current situation with what he described as a “golden era” under former Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, where peace and progress were prioritized. Manian further alleged that crime—including murder, robbery, and sexual assault—has become rampant, and that even senior citizens are no longer safe in the state.
Manian also highlighted rising costs of construction materials like M-sand and gravel. Responding to this, Minister Duraimurugan said that orders had been given to quarry and crusher associations to reduce prices by ₹1,000. Palaniswami challenged this claim, asking how a ₹1,900 price increase could be justified with only a ₹1,000 reduction.
In response, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin defended his government’s record, listing AIADMK-era incidents in Pollachi and Thoothukudi as evidence of misrule. He said the AIADMK had compromised Tamil Nadu’s interests to protect themselves from corruption cases. Stalin also claimed that 2024 saw a drop in murder cases and noted that over 15,800 individuals had been detained under the Goondas Act during the DMK’s tenure. He added that police casualties had significantly decreased.
Interrupting, Palaniswami demanded clarity on whether Thiruvengadam’s death in police custody—allegedly while being taken to recover weapons—was orchestrated to silence him. He asked how Thiruvengadam came to possess a sickle when it was claimed the weapon used in the Armstrong murder was of the same kind. He insisted the true culprits be apprehended and brought to justice.
Palaniswami also accused the Speaker of denying AIADMK legislators an opportunity to express their views, to which the Speaker responded that Palaniswami had been speaking for nearly an hour, making the complaint unfair.
(With inputs from One India Tamil)
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