An investigation into the recent double murder in Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district has indicated that the attack, initially believed to have been carried out by a group of intoxicated youths without provocation, was allegedly orchestrated by members of a dominant intermediate caste targeting youths from another community.
Police investigators reportedly found that tensions had escalated after a group of youths from the Paraiyar community residing in Indra Colony in Perumpaththu put up posters glorifying ‘Manalmedu’ Shankar, a lorry driver from the Delta region who was killed in a police encounter in February 2007.
As reported in The Hindu, according to police accounts cited in the investigation, Shankar had been facing several criminal cases, including charges related to murder, abduction and drug smuggling. Police records from the time of the encounter stated that Shankar had attacked police personnel and attempted to escape custody while being escorted from court to Madurai Central Prison, following which he was shot dead in what authorities described as an act of self-defence.
Investigators reportedly stated that the posters commemorating Shankar’s death anniversary, which were placed around Nanguneri and along nearby highways, had angered members of an intermediate caste living in several hamlets in the region. Police said this anger allegedly culminated in an attack on a group of people who were standing in front of a roadside teashop at Indra Colony near Perumpaththu on the night of March 2, 2026.
According to police reports, the attack resulted in the double murder of two persons and the hacking of seven others. Authorities said that seven suspects had been arrested in connection with the case.
Investigators reportedly identified Subbaiah alias Subhash (19) and Kalyani (19) among those arrested, noting that the two had earlier been cited as accused in a separate attack case and had also been named in a sexual harassment case.
Police officials stated that heavy security deployment had been carried out in and around Perumpaththu following the incident to prevent further unrest. Despite the security presence, officials said that tension and an uneasy silence continued to prevail in Nanguneri after the killings, which were described as having a caste dimension.
Authorities said that the body of John, a youth from the Paraiyar community who was killed in the attack, had been kept at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital mortuary after his family refused to receive it.
As reported in The Hindu, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan spoke to the family through a video call on March 3, during which the family reportedly stated that they would receive the body only after authorities took appropriate action against those responsible for the attack.
Buried in the inside pages of The Hindu is news that the Nanguneri attack had a caste motive linked to putting up a poster of Manalmedu Shankar pic.twitter.com/G1tbU9Rw8s
— Siddharth Prabhakar (@Sidprabhakar7) March 5, 2026
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu visited the injured victims undergoing treatment at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital along with District Collector R. Sukumar. During the visit, officials said that the Speaker assured the affected families that all necessary medical treatment would be provided to ensure the injured recovered quickly.
Officials said the Speaker also urged the families to cooperate with the police investigation, noting that those allegedly involved in the attack had already been arrested and that the investigation was continuing.
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