Tamil Nadu: ST man beaten to death on suspicion of theft

Tiruppur: A 55-year-old man belonging to Narikoravar (ST community), who was tied to a tree and beaten along with his nephew by a group of land owners in Udumalaipet on Wednesday morning on suspicion of being a thief, has succumbed to his injuries. In the evening to the hospital for the injured. Police have arrested three people and are searching for six others. According to the police, Sengottaiyan (55), a native of R Ponnapuram in Pollachi, and his nephew Kumar (25) used to sell beads and other items. On December 27, the duo spotted some birds in the field at Kumarapalayam in Thanthoni village and tried to catch some. A group of landlords detained him, tied him to a coconut tree and beat him with sticks and coconut trunks. Both of them suffered serious injuries on their head, back, stomach and shoulders. After some time the farmers left them. Both were admitted to Udumalaipet Government Hospital. But Sengottaiyan died in the evening. On Thursday his family members protested in front of the hospital. Speaking to TNIE, DSP (Udumalaipet Division) J Sukumaran said, “Sengottaiyan and Kumar were roaming in the fields for some time, and the land owners suspected them of being thieves and raised the alarm. People from a nearby farm arrived and began attacking them, although they pleaded with them, saying that they were simply roaming the site. Since there was frequent theft of cocks and hens in the area, the landlords refused to believe them. After the landlords released him, the two went to a tea stall, but Sengottaiyan felt very uncomfortable and admitted himself to the Udumalaipet Government Hospital. A case was registered and we have arrested the land owners Selvakumar (34), Sasikumar (35) and Selladurai (39). Six others are absconding.