Dalit man killed in Trichy as two groups clash over love affair

TRICHY: A 29-year-old dalit Christian was killed and five others injured in a clash between two groups of people in Thiruvalarcholai village in Trichy on Sunday night, allegedly stemming from a love affair. The deceased has been identified as J Napolean. The incident has sparked protests and heightened tensions in the area.
Napolean died after he was assaulted by a gang of 13.Four dalit men, K Kathiravan, 38, S Sankar Guru, 37, R Kamalesh, 20, all from Thiruvalarcholai, and M Jeevanandham, 34, from Sangendhi, were hospitalised after the clash. P Nagendran, 24, a youth from the Muthuraja community in Thiruvalarcholai, was also injured.
Initial police investigations suggest that the root of the conflict lies in Nagendran's romantic interest in a college girl from his community. Police have not ascertained whether the girl reciprocated his feelings. Jeevanandham, a dalit from Sangendhi village and Nagendran's friend, had been supportive of the relationship.
However, Vignesh from Thiruvalarcholai, a relative of the girl, vehemently opposed Nagendran's romantic pursuit, leading to a long-standing animosity between the two. On Sunday night, when Jeevanandham visited Nagendran in Thiruvalarcholai, accompanied by a group of dalit youths, Vignesh and his gang confronted them, sparking a violent clash. The assailants wielded knives and wooden logs, killing Napolean and injuring others.
Kathiravan, who suffered grave wounds, underwent emergency surgery at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) in Trichy on Monday morning. His condition remains critical. The other injured are reported to be stable and are undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Srirangam police, attached to the Trichy city police, have identified the primary suspect as K Vignesh from Thiruvalarcholai. His accomplices have been identified as Ajan, Saran, Anandbabu, Ranjith, Muruganandham, Vinoth, Prabhakaran, Manoj, Vaitheeswaran, and Vimal, all from the Muthuraja community.