Temple event ends in murder at Minjur - The Hindu

Autorickshaw driver killed by youth of nearby village ~ Fri 13 Aug 2010

A skirmish over who should get a coconut kept atop a temple chariot ended in the death of a youth and rendered more than 15 families homeless in two hamlets at Minjur in Tiruvallur district.

Ten days after the incident, women in Minjur Colony live in perpetual fear of police harassment. The men have left the women to fend for themselves. Residents of the nearby Naalur are cosseted by a huge police force at the village entrance.

The police said the 20 men picked up for arson would be set free if the culprits surrendered. Five men from Naalur were taken into custody for murder.

Car Festival

It all began during the car festival of a Mariamman temple in Minjur on May 17, when youth from Minjur Colony and Naalur quarrelled. The police intervened and settled the dispute.

But the simmering feud turned worse when five armed men attacked autorickshaw driver Senthil Kumar (23) around 5 p.m. the same day.

A grievously injured Senthil was brought to Government General Hospital in Chennai where he died three days later. That night, a large group of men from Minjur Colony went to Naalur and burnt 17 huts in revenge.

Tip-off

The damage could have been worse but for a tip-off the police received from a local trader, said a police officer.

Thenmozhi, wife of Senthil, said her husband had promised to take her to the temple, but did not recognise her till his death. Senthil's family includes a 16-year-old brother, his widowed mother, grandmother and two-year-old daughter.