K Armstrong, the Tamil Nadu unit chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was hacked to death by a six-member gang on Friday. Armstrong, 47 was attacked with machetes, sickles and other deadly weapons near Perambur in Chennai city. A day after the gruesome murder the special teams formed by the Chennai police have arrested eight suspects.
“We have arrested eight people. The investigation is going on and the accused are being questioned to ascertain the motive of the murder,” Chennai Additional Commissioner (North) informed the media.
Those arrested include Ponnai Bala, Ramu, Thiruvengadam, Thirumalai, Selvaraj, Manivannnan, Santhosh and Arul. The gang arrived on three bikes, attacked Armstrong and fled before his supporters could respond.
Preliminary investigations indicate that previous enmity and revenge could be the reasons for the murder. According to police sources, there was neither any immediate threat to Armstrong’s safety nor any political motivation behind his killing. However, the police are monitoring the activities of more than 4000 individuals based on their criminal records and their links with Armstrong or his friends and relatives.
Who was Armstrong?
K Armstrong took charge as the chief of the BSP more than a decade ago. Though the BSP is a non-player in the state with a very low vote share, Armstrong has been an influential figure within the judiciary and also a well-known personality in North Chennai. An advocate by profession he was a staunch Ambedkarite and a prominent face among the Dalit youth in the state.
Armstrong’s political career began in 2006 when he was elected to the Chennai Corporation as a councillor from one of the wards in North Chennai. He organised a huge public rally and invited Mayawati for the rally when she was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The public rally organised at Pulla Reddy Avenue in Aminjikarai, a popular venue in North Chennai, earned him more support from Mayawati. She elevated him as the state chief of BSP. He was committed to the principles of BSP and used his profession to work for the Dalits and the marginalised in the society.
In 2011, with much support from the local community in North Chennai, Armstrong contested from Kolathur constituency against MK Stalin, only to lose. However, he was a history-sheeter and there were seven criminal cases registered against him, in which he was acquitted. He is said to have had strong links in the cinema industry, particularly with some of the popular young directors like Pa Ranjith. Ranjith, on Friday, broke down seeing Armstrong’s mortal remains.
Why was he killed?
Sources say that there were at least three reports from the state intelligence agencies warning of a serious threat to Armstrong’s life. The police suspect personal enmity and revenge as the reason for the murder. In fact, there is a specialised dedicated unit in the state police monitoring the movement of organised crime gangs which used to plan and execute the targets. This organised crime prevention unit has prevented many killings in the past.
Though BSP is a non-player in the state, the killing of a state president of a national party is a serious issue. By not preventing the killing the state police have damaged the reputation of the chief minister, say the political observers. It is pertinent to note that the CM holds the Home portfolio. The impending visit of BSP supremo Mayawati is expected to turn the focus of the national media over Tamil Nadu for the wrong reasons.
Armstrong’s murder has sent shockwaves across the state. Just a day before his killing, in Salem, AIADMK functionary Shanmugam was hacked to death. And a month before, a Congress functionary in Tirunelveli was brutally murdered. The increasing political murders in the state have put a serious question mark over the handling of the law and order in the state.