Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar on Monday rejected allegations that the murder of an engineering student in Coimbatore was linked to a drug gang, and urged that the case should not be “diverted” from the facts. He was responding in the Assembly to claims raised by Opposition leader Udhayanidhi.
Udhayanidhi, while listing recent murder incidents in the state, said the victim—Amuthan, an engineering student from Kallakurichi—was allegedly assaulted by a group and killed. He claimed that when the issue was earlier raised, it was described as a clash between groups, but insisted it was a murder and alleged police actions led to the killing.
According to Udhayanidhi, Amuthan was called to the Chettipalayam police station for inquiry and was questioned about a drug gang. He further alleged that details about Amuthan were shared with the gang, and said the victim’s parents had made similar claims, seeking action against the police personnel concerned.
Nirmal Kumar said the attack occurred due to prior enmity among students of the same college, with the assault taking place at around 1.30 am on August 10 at the room where Amuthan was staying. He said Amuthan was taken to a private hospital, where doctors declared him already dead, and two cases were registered the same day at the Chettipalayam police station.
The minister said the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was later added, the body was handed over to the parents after post-mortem on August 11, and 15 people have been arrested and remanded. He said police inquiry found the death was linked to retaliatory attacks between two groups on August 9, and that there was no complaint or finding of drug use in the case. He added that preventive steps were taken to curb retaliatory incidents and that Rs 6 lakh relief was provided to the family under the Act.
