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The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Anbumani says he will steer PMK, calls his father ‘family deity'
For the second day in a row, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday addressed office-bearers of PMK and reiterated that his father and party founder S. Ramadoss continues to be the party's 'family deity', acknowledged his vision and hardwork in building the party, but made it clear that he will be the president and that the party would be steered by him in the future. Speaking to the office-bearers from PMK strongholds such as Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Namakkal and Kallakurichi districts, Dr. Anbumani urged them to undertake a membership drive in the next three weeks and said that that he would soon take out a yatra across Tamil Nadu to 'reclaim rights of the Tamil people'. 'After the membership drive, we also have plans regarding caste census. I will also undertake a yatra by foot for which I will announce the details soon. There is a lot of work to be done. You are the party; the PMK is not owned by a single person,' he told them. 'You are the reason why the Vanniyar youth conference was a big success. We are all in the same team. I will never think that you are my subordinates. You are all my colleagues,' he added. Dr. Anbumani said he would soon resolve the issues within the party and reassured office-bearers that 'nobody can remove or change anyone' in the party without his concurrence and signature. 'I have been appointed by the party general council as per laws and it has been acknowledged by the Election Commission. Only the party president should make appointments and sign on appointments. I understand how sad you are all, but you also know how bad I feel about what is happening within the party. Our strength is our youth... and many of you are here to do good for the community. PMK should rule the State,' he said. PMK general secretary Vadivel Ravanan, treasurer Thilagabama, Vanniyar Sangam State secretary Karthik, and MLAs S.P. Venkateswaran, S. Sadashivam and C. Sivakumar were also present. On the other hand, Pennagaram MLA and former president G.K. Mani said every cadre of the PMK wished that Dr. Anbumani and Dr. Ramadoss met to resolve the issues. 'If they meet and talk, it would give a lot of energy to the cadre. I had urged Dr. Ramadoss not to change the office-bearers, but he decided to anyway. We are talking continuously with both leaders to resolve this issue.' Mr. Mani added, 'Some say I am the reason for the that someone else or some other political party is the things cannot be accepted. Dr. Ramadoss has been politics for 45 years. Dr. Anbumani has been a union minister and achieved a lot. Do they have to be told what to do? Nobody else is responsible. This is happening due to unforeseen circumstances.' Mr. Mani said Dr. Ramadoss was in 'great mental stress'. 'I have told Dr. Ramadoss several times. I have taken two decisions — to leave everything and go somewhere or I shouldn't be alive. I am saying this because I am so distressed at what is happening in the party,' he said. (Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State's health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha's suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Rift widens in BJP Tamil Nadu ally as founder says son ‘lying without shame'
A rift within the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a prominent political party in Tamil Nadu, has emerged publicly after the party's founder, S Ramadoss, made serious allegations during a press conference against his son and current party leader, Anbumani with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, the PMK has a strong base among the Vanniyar community in the northern districts of Tamil addressing the media, a visibly distraught Ramadoss Sr hinted at internal sabotage and a struggle for control of the party, stating that his son Anbumani has been a significant hindrance to its development. Saying that he saw the way Anbumani questioned what he had done to warrant the change in his party role. 'This is nothing but diversionary tactics. He is hiding his mistakes and attempting to get sympathy from party men,' and trying to avoid accountability for his actions, the senior Ramadoss also openly expressed regret over his past decision to elevate Anbumani to Union Minister, asserting that Anbumani has since made 'a lot of mistakes' and caused widespread confusion within the party ranks. 'Honestly, the real mistake was mine. I made him a Union Minister at just 35. But it was Anbumani who chose to escalate things,' the party founder emotional outburst included allegations that Anbumani had attempted to isolate him from party cadres and that his son 'will lie without shame'.The PMK founder was also clear about the transition of power. 'The party will, however, go to Anbumani's hands.'The widening chasm between father and son reportedly intensified following the founder's decision to appoint his daughter's son, Mukundan, to a key party position. This move sparked a public confrontation at a general council meeting in Puducherry in December elder Ramadoss also mentioned the incident: 'You all saw what happened at the general body meeting in Puducherry. I appointed Mukundan to assist me at home and support Anbumani in party affairs. Was it right for him to slam the microphone onto the table as if he were throwing it at me?'During the December meeting, Anbumani openly challenged his father's decision, questioning Mukundan's experience and suitability for the role — a moment that insiders describe as a stark display of their growing Sr claimed that Anbumani's actions at this 'Pondy meeting' effectively 'broke the party in a split second.'Further highlighting the internal turmoil, a recent meeting convened by Ramadoss Sr reportedly saw strikingly low attendance from district leaders, with reports suggesting that many functionaries were siding with Anbumani.
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- The Hindu
Kannagi - Murugesan ‘honour' killing in TN: a crime that revealed the ugly reality of caste
Nearly 22 years ago, S. Murugesan, 25, a Dalit youth, and Kannagi, 24, a Vanniyar girl, fell in love with each other. Murugesan was an engineering graduate from Annamalai University, Chidambaram, and Kannagi studied B. Com at the university. They got acquainted during their college days. Both hailed from Pudukkoorapettai, near Virudhachalam, in Cuddalore district. He was working in Bengaluru. Kannagi's father Duraisamy was the president of the village panchayat and Murugesan's father Samikannu was a farm worker, who lived on the outskirts of the village, far removed from where the Vanniyars and other caste Hindus lived. Apprehending stiff opposition to their marriage, Murugesan and Kannagi had their marriage solemnised at a temple at Manjakuppam in Cuddalore, on May 5, 2003. They also registered it. After marriage, they went home. On July 3, 2003, Duraiswamy learnt that his daughter was taken away by Murugesan while going to Chidambaram to attend the monthly seminars at the university. 'Disrepute to family' Duraisamy sent his son Marudhupandiyan to find out the whereabouts of his daughter. It was their idea to eliminate the couple for causing disrepute to their family and caste. Marudhupandiyan visited the house of Samikannu and asked Samikannu and his brother Ayyasamy to bring Murugesan to the village. Ayyasamy innocuously brought Murugesan from a neighbouring village. He was dragged to the village and beaten up by Duraisamy and his men in front of a temple, where about 100 people had gathered. Velmurugan, younger brother of Murugesan, recalled, 'My brother was beaten up severely. They tortured him: tying up his legs with a rope, they lowered him, upside down, into a deep bore-well near the temple, asking him to disclose the whereabouts of Kannagi.' Murugesan begged for his life and said Kannagi was in the custody of his relative Saroja at Moongilthuraipattu. Then, Duraisamy's men brought Kannagi to the village in the early hours of July 8 from Saroja's house. She was taken to a burial ground. Murugesan was also taken there by Duraisamy and his relatives. Duraisamy went over to Kannagi and spat on her face. Then, he handed pesticide in a tumbler to his son Maruthupandian, and they made Kannagi consume it. Thereafter, Maruthupandian handed over poison to a relative of Murugesan and asked him to pour it into the mouth of Murugesan. As Murugesan resisted, they opened his mouth with a knife and poured the poison in. While Murugesan's body was burnt near a stream, Kannagi's body was taken to a crematorium meant for the caste Hindus. Sent away by the police On the day of occurrence, Chinnapillai, stepmother of Murugesan, went to the Virudhachalam police station, along with a few relatives. They were sent away by the police. The death of the couple was hushed up by the influential persons, but it spread by word of mouth. A Tamil weekly carried a report and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol. Thirumavalavan raised the issue at a press conference. Initially, Duraisamy and his group claimed that the couple committed suicide because of irreconcilable differences. However, Samikannu and other Dalits alleged that the Vanniyars had brought Murugesan and Kannagi, by deceit and force, to Pudukkooraipettai and murdered them. It took nine days for the Virudhachalam police to register a case, on the basis of voluntary confession by Duraisamy. Inspector Sellamuthu implicated three Dalits, including Samikannu, and arrested eight men: four Vanniyars and four Dalits, including Duraisamy, Maruthupandiyan, Samikannu, and Ayyasamy. The police claimed that Duraisamy admitted that he felt ashamed of the love affair and asked Samikannu and Ayyasamy to bring the couple to the village. He gave poison to his daughter and Samikannu gave the left-over to his son. Both of them cremated the bodies. The arrest of Samikannu and the three other Dalits caused a controversy since the Dalits believed that they were, in no way, involved in the murder. Thereafter, the Dalits approached advocate P. Rathnam who, though not a Dalit by birth, championed their causes. Mr. Rathnam and a team of lawyers visited the village and prepared a report. They fought for justice until the Supreme Court delivered its verdict last month. Within 23 days of the occurrence, the Principal Sessions Judge, Cuddalore, granted bail to the arrested persons, reasoning that Duraisamy would be disqualified from the post of panchayat president if he was to be in judicial custody for more than 30 days. After being released on bail, Samikannu and the other Dalits approached the Madras High Court for a CBI investigation. Meanwhile, inspector Sellamuthu completed his probe and filed a charge sheet before the Judicial Magistrate, arraigning the four Vanniyars and four Dalits, who were arrested earlier, as the accused. Subsequently, the High Court ordered the CBI to conduct a fresh investigation. The CBI filed a charge sheet on October 14, 2005, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chengalpattu, against 15 accused, including Tamilmaran, sub-inspector, and Sellamuthu, inspector, of the Vriddhachalam police station. Though the final report was filed by the CBI in 2005, the case was committed to the Court of Session only after more than four years. The trial court framed the charges and questioned the accused persons more than seven years after the crime. The reason for this inordinate delay was the filing of petitions for discharge of the accused persons, and for cancellation of the bail of some of the accused persons for intimidating the witnesses. Death sentence awarded On September 24, 2021, the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Cases, Cuddalore, acquitted Ayyasamy and Gunasekaran of all the charges. It awarded the death sentence to Marudhupandian and life imprisonment to Duraiswami and 11 others. Following appeals, a Division Bench of the High Court delivered a common judgment on April 13, 2022, and commuted the death sentence imposed on Marudhipandian. However, it confirmed the life sentence imposed on nine of the convicts, including Duraisami, while acquitting Rangasamy and Chinnadurai. The court also set aside the life sentence imposed on Tamilmaran, a former sub-inspector, and sentenced him to two years in prison. On April 28 this year, the Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Prashant Kumar Mishra, dismissed the appeals from the convicts. All the appellants, who were on bail, were asked to surrender within two weeks to serve out their sentences. Writing the judgment, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia said, 'This is a case of a dastardly murder of a young couple who were only in their early twenties... Both of them were administered poison in full view of a large number of villagers. The masterminds and the main perpetrators of this macabre act were none other than the father and the brother of the girl Kannagi. The reason behind the murder of this young couple was that Kannagi, belonging to the Vanniyar community, had dared to marry Murugesan, who was a Dalit from the same village. So, at the root of this crime is the deeply entrenched hierarchical caste system in India, and ironically, this most dishonourable act goes by the name of honour-killing!' 'A crime is an act against the state. But a wicked and odious crime, as the one we have just dealt with, is the ugly reality of our deeply entrenched caste structure. Honour-killing, as these are called, must get a strong measure of punishment,' the judges said. ₹5 lakh in compensation The court also ordered the Tamil Nadu government to award ₹5 lakh in compensation to the parents of Murugesan, besides the amount awarded or ordered by the Court of Session and the High Court.
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- The Hindu
A crime that revealed the ugly reality of caste
Nearly 22 years ago, S. Murugesan, 25, a Dalit youth, and Kannagi, 24, a Vanniyar girl, fell in love with each other. Murugesan was an engineering graduate from Annamalai University, Chidambaram, and Kannagi studied B. Com at the university. They got acquainted during their college days. Both hailed from Pudukkoorapettai, near Virudhachalam, in Cuddalore district. He was working in Bengaluru. Kannagi's father Duraisamy was the president of the village panchayat and Murugesan's father Samikannu was a farm worker, who lived on the outskirts of the village, far removed from where the Vanniyars and other caste Hindus lived. Apprehending stiff opposition to their marriage, Murugesan and Kannagi had their marriage solemnised at a temple at Manjakuppam in Cuddalore, on May 5, 2003. They also registered it. After marriage, they went home. On July 3, 2003, Duraiswamy learnt that his daughter was taken away by Murugesan while going to Chidambaram to attend the monthly seminars at the university. 'Disrepute to family' Duraisamy sent his son Marudhupandiyan to find out the whereabouts of his daughter. It was their idea to eliminate the couple for causing disrepute to their family and caste. Marudhupandiyan visited the house of Samikannu and asked Samikannu and his brother Ayyasamy to bring Murugesan to the village. Ayyasamy innocuously brought Murugesan from a neighbouring village. He was dragged to the village and beaten up by Duraisamy and his men in front of a temple, where about 100 people had gathered. Velmurugan, younger brother of Murugesan, recalled, 'My brother was beaten up severely. They tortured him: tying up his legs with a rope, they lowered him, upside down, into a deep bore-well near the temple, asking him to disclose the whereabouts of Kannagi.' Murugesan begged for his life and said Kannagi was in the custody of his relative Saroja at Moongilthuraipattu. Then, Duraisamy's men brought Kannagi to the village in the early hours of July 8 from Saroja's house. She was taken to a burial ground. Murugesan was also taken there by Duraisamy and his relatives. Duraisamy went over to Kannagi and spat on her face. Then, he handed pesticide in a tumbler to his son Maruthupandian, and they made Kannagi consume it. Thereafter, Maruthupandian handed over poison to a relative of Murugesan and asked him to pour it into the mouth of Murugesan. As Murugesan resisted, they opened his mouth with a knife and poured the poison in. While Murugesan's body was burnt near a stream, Kannagi's body was taken to a crematorium meant for the caste Hindus. Sent away by the police On the day of occurrence, Chinnapillai, stepmother of Murugesan, went to the Virudhachalam police station, along with a few relatives. They were sent away by the police. The death of the couple was hushed up by the influential persons, but it spread by word of mouth. A Tamil weekly carried a report and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi leader Thol. Thirumavalavan raised the issue at a press conference. Initially, Duraisamy and his group claimed that the couple committed suicide because of irreconcilable differences. However, Samikannu and other Dalits alleged that the Vanniyars had brought Murugesan and Kannagi, by deceit and force, to Pudukkooraipettai and murdered them. It took nine days for the Virudhachalam police to register a case, on the basis of voluntary confession by Duraisamy. Inspector Sellamuthu implicated three Dalits, including Samikannu, and arrested eight men: four Vanniyars and four Dalits, including Duraisamy, Maruthupandiyan, Samikannu, and Ayyasamy. The police claimed that Duraisamy admitted that he felt ashamed of the love affair and asked Samikannu and Ayyasamy to bring the couple to the village. He gave poison to his daughter and Samikannu gave the left-over to his son. Both of them cremated the bodies. The arrest of Samikannu and the three other Dalits caused a controversy since the Dalits believed that they were, in no way, involved in the murder. Thereafter, the Dalits approached advocate P. Rathnam who, though not a Dalit by birth, championed their causes. Mr. Rathnam and a team of lawyers visited the village and prepared a report. They fought for justice until the Supreme Court delivered its verdict last month. Within 23 days of the occurrence, the Principal Sessions Judge, Cuddalore, granted bail to the arrested persons, reasoning that Duraisamy would be disqualified from the post of panchayat president if he was to be in judicial custody for more than 30 days. After being released on bail, Samikannu and the other Dalits approached the Madras High Court for a CBI investigation. Meanwhile, inspector Sellamuthu completed his probe and filed a charge sheet before the Judicial Magistrate, arraigning the four Vanniyars and four Dalits, who were arrested earlier, as the accused. Subsequently, the High Court ordered the CBI to conduct a fresh investigation. The CBI filed a charge sheet on October 14, 2005, before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chengalpattu, against 15 accused, including Tamilmaran, sub-inspector, and Sellamuthu, inspector, of the Vriddhachalam police station. Though the final report was filed by the CBI in 2005, the case was committed to the Court of Session only after more than four years. The trial court framed the charges and questioned the accused persons more than seven years after the crime. The reason for this inordinate delay was the filing of petitions for discharge of the accused persons, and for cancellation of the bail of some of the accused persons for intimidating the witnesses. Death sentence awarded On September 24, 2021, the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act Cases, Cuddalore, acquitted Ayyasamy and Gunasekaran of all the charges. It awarded the death sentence to Marudhupandian and life imprisonment to Duraiswami and 11 others. Following appeals, a Division Bench of the High Court delivered a common judgment on April 13, 2022, and commuted the death sentence imposed on Marudhipandian. However, it confirmed the life sentence imposed on nine of the convicts, including Duraisami, while acquitting Rangasamy and Chinnadurai. The court also set aside the life sentence imposed on Tamilmaran, a former sub-inspector, and sentenced him to two years in prison. On April 28 this year, the Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Prashant Kumar Mishra, dismissed the appeals from the convicts. All the appellants, who were on bail, were asked to surrender within two weeks to serve out their sentences. Writing the judgment, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia said, 'This is a case of a dastardly murder of a young couple who were only in their early twenties... Both of them were administered poison in full view of a large number of villagers. The masterminds and the main perpetrators of this macabre act were none other than the father and the brother of the girl Kannagi. The reason behind the murder of this young couple was that Kannagi, belonging to the Vanniyar community, had dared to marry Murugesan, who was a Dalit from the same village. So, at the root of this crime is the deeply entrenched hierarchical caste system in India, and ironically, this most dishonourable act goes by the name of honour-killing!' 'A crime is an act against the state. But a wicked and odious crime, as the one we have just dealt with, is the ugly reality of our deeply entrenched caste structure. Honour-killing, as these are called, must get a strong measure of punishment,' the judges said. ₹5 lakh in compensation The court also ordered the Tamil Nadu government to award ₹5 lakh in compensation to the parents of Murugesan, besides the amount awarded or ordered by the Court of Session and the High Court.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Infighting takes centre stage at key PMK meet
The internal tussles in NDA ally Pattalli Makkal Katchi (PMK), an influential party among the dominant community of Vanniyars, was wide open on Friday with just 13 out of the 220 district office-bearers of the party turning up for a meeting convened by founder S Ramadoss. The patriarch recently on April 11 took over the party from his son, successor and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss. The father made himself president of the PMK once again and announced that Anbumani would be its working president. Anbumani subsequently challenged his father asserting that he continues to be the party chief since he was elected by PMK's general council. Though the duo sat next to each other during PMK's youth conference conducted after 12 years on May 11, senior Ramadoss didn't mince words over his unhappiness of there being various factions within the party. The conference was attended by lakhs of PMK cadres and people from the Vanniyar community in Chennai. The 85-year-old senior Ramadoss had said that he would have the last word on the party, its alliance and its functioning ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. And, on Friday, he had invited the office bearers to his residence in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district. But, only 15 of them turned up. However, Ramadoss said that nobody boycotted his invite but those who could not attend the meeting spoke to him over phone to express their inability to attend. 'Maybe, they were exhausted after attending the party's conference at Mamallapuram, recently (on May 11)….Lion's legs have not become weak nor lion's aggression,' Ramadoss told reporters. He also added that they will contest 2026 in alliance with other parties. 'It shows that support in the party is tilting towards his son,' said a PMK leader not wishing to be identified. Ramadoss and Anbumani have been sparring publicly since December 2024. Anbumani had objected to Ramadoss' decision to appoint his nephew as the youth wing chief of PMK. Those in the know of the power struggle have been saying that while the PMK has been in alliance with the BJP, Ramadoss was keen to align with the AIADMK. He removed Anbumani from the post of party president (which he was holding since 2022) on April 11 on the day Union home minister Amit Shah arrived in Chennai. On the following day Shah announced that the BJP and AIADMK have patched up after 19 months and will fight the 2026 elections together. At the youth conference last week, Anbumani praised his father for his effort for over 45 years with the Union government which has now announced conducting a caste census. But, the father did not return the kind words and said that the cadre are not working hard enough. PMK is a key regional player wielding influence over the Vanniyar community - their core vote bank of roughly 5%
