In two separate incidents, political workers belonging to the BJP and AIADMK were killed within a span of 24 hours in Tamil Nadu on Saturday.
In Sivagangai district, a BJP worker was brutally stabbed to death, while the neighboring Cuddalore district witnessed the murder of an AIADMK worker.
The opposition has criticised the ruling DMK government for the law and order situation in the state. At the same time, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has ruled out a political angle to the murder.
According to reports, AIADMK's worker Padmanabhan was attacked by unidentified men. BJP's Sivagangai district president, Selvakumar, was attacked when he was on his way home on a two-wheeler from his brick kiln. He was attacked by a group of men who stabbed him to death before leaving him on the roadside.
A passerby informed the police about the incident. The police found Selvakumar's lifeless body in a pool of blood and sent his body to a government hospital for a post mortem.
A protest by Selvakumar's villagers ensued against the murder. The BJP workers demanded the immediate arrest of the accused and refused to accept his body.
A heavy force was deployed to maintain law and order.
State BJP chief K Annamalai expressed his condolences to Selvakumar's family and promised the party's support.
Describing Tamil Nadu as the "murder capital," the BJP chief criticised the state government by stating, "Criminal elements have no fear of the government or the police. The chief minister, who controls the police, is orchestrating a political drama."
He also urged MK Stalin to "reflect" on whether he should remain as the state's chief minister.
Meanwhile, Sivagangai MP Karti P Chidambaram asserted that there was no political motive behind Selvakumar's murder.
"I spoke with the Sivagangai District SP about the murder, who mentioned that it resulted from a feud between two groups and assured that the suspects would be arrested. There is no political angle here. However, the increasing number of murders is concerning," Karti Chidambaram stated on X.
On July 5, K Armstrong, the state president of the Bahujan Samaj Party, was brutally killed by a gang, sparking widespread outrage.