Chennai, March 20 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday said that the highest number of murders in the state occurred in 2012, during the AIADMK regime.
Responding to a question raised by Leader of Opposition and AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) in the Assembly, Stalin compared year-wise murder statistics between 2012 and 2024 and pointed out that 2012 had the highest number of murders in the last decade, with 1,943 cases, while in 2013, the number stood at 1,927.
Even during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Tamil Nadu reported 1,661 murders under the AIADMK government.
In contrast, Stalin highlighted that 2024 recorded the lowest number of murders (1,540) in the past 12 years, attributing the decline to stringent law enforcement under the DMK regime.
The Chief Minister emphasised that the data proves how law and order deteriorated under previous AIADMK rule, countering attempts by the opposition to exploit isolated murder cases for political gain. Stalin further explained that both murder and attempted murder cases have significantly declined in recent years.
In 2023, Tamil Nadu recorded 49,280 cases of murder or attempted murder, but by 2024, this number had dropped to 31,498, reflecting a sharp decline of 17,782 cases in one year.
“There is a deliberate attempt to create panic by spreading selective crime footage on social media. However, actual statistics indicate a 6.8 per cent decline in murder cases in 2024 compared to the previous year. Murders have reduced by 109 cases, while revenge killings have dropped by 42.72 per cent.”
Addressing concerns raised by the opposition regarding four specific murder incidents, the Chief Minister provided case-wise clarifications and said that as per initial investigations, the Coimbatore incident was a case of suicide, not a murder, while in the Madurai murder, the investigation was still ongoing.
The Chief Minister said that the Sivagangai case was a murder stemming from family rivalry.
Regarding the Erode highway murder, Stalin elaborated on the case involving history sheeter John alias Chanakya from Kitchipalayam in Salem. Chanakya, who was out on conditional bail granted by the Madras High Court, was travelling to Tirupur with his wife after signing at the Annathanapatty police station and while they were on the highway, a group of unidentified attackers ambushed them, fatally wounding Chanakyan. His wife sustained injuries and was rushed to a private hospital in Chithode.
Following the attack, police launched an investigation and tracked down four suspects – Saravanan, Sathish, Boopalan, and Myna Karthik. When officers intercepted them near Pachapalli, the accused reportedly attacked the police. In retaliation, an Inspector opened fire in self-defence, injuring Sathish, Saravanan, and Boopalan. The injured were admitted to Coimbatore Government Hospital after initial treatment at Perundurai GH. Preliminary investigations suggest that the Erode highway murder was an act of revenge.
Chanakya, was the second accused in the 2020 murder of another history-sheeter, Chelladurai, in Salem and the attack on him appears to be linked to this past crime.
Stalin asserted that his government had strengthened law enforcement, resulting in a significant decline in serious crimes across Tamil Nadu. He urged the public not to be misled by politically motivated narratives and social media speculation.
“The facts are clear – crime rates have fallen, and our police force is taking swift action against offenders. The people of Tamil Nadu recognise the improvements in law and order,” he maintained.
–IANS
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