Tiruppur DMK Town Panchayat President Runs Over Social Activist By Car, Arrested

Police have arrested the president of the Samalapuram Town Panchayat, affiliated with the DMK, on charges of deliberately killing a local social activist by ramming his car into the victim’s two-wheeler.

The arrested official, identified as 60-year-old Vinayaka Palanisamy, allegedly struck down 57-year-old activist Palanisamy of Karugampalayam on the evening of September 10 near the Karugampalayam Government Primary School, along the Samalapuram–Karanampettai Road. Eyewitnesses said the victim was riding a two-wheeler when he was hit from behind by a speeding car, thrown off, and fatally injured. The accused reportedly fled the scene without stopping.

Initially booked as a traffic accident, the case took a serious turn after Mangalam police traced the vehicle to the Panchayat president. Investigations revealed that the deceased had earlier filed a petition with the Tiruppur District Collector opposing a Panchayat-funded road project allegedly meant for the private benefit of an individual. The suspension of this project reportedly created enmity between the activist and the chairman.

Police now suspect that the killing was an act of retaliation. Officers also stated that the chairman was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Based on these findings, the case has been altered from accidental death to murder under IPC Section 302.

The activist’s son has accused the DMK chairman of repeatedly threatening his father and demanded his immediate removal from both party and office. “My father only asked that public money be spent for the public. For this, he lost his life,” he said.

The body of the activist has been sent for postmortem at Tiruppur Government Medical College Hospital. Meanwhile, Vinayaka Palanisamy remains in judicial custody as further investigations continue.

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