Two prime accused in Sivaganga blast case surrender

Karur, Tamil Nadu, July 3 (UNI) Two prime accused in the sensational murder of Sivaganga Municipal Chairman P Murugan surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate Court at Kulithalai in this district of Tamil Nadu today.

G Balachandar (34) alias Bala, an Electronics Engineer, who is suspected to have designed the explosive device with remote mechanism, and DMK Councillor Manthakalai alias Kumaran surrendered before Judicial Magistrate-I Anandan in the Kulithalai court.

Both Balachandar, hailing from Pudur area in Sivaganga, and Manthakalai were evading arrest since the incident on June 29 last.

The Magistrate remanded them to judicial custody till July six and ordered to produce them before the Judicial Magistrate court at Sivaganga on July six at 1030 hrs.

Later, they were lodged at the Central Prison at Tiruchirapalli.

Meanwhile, Counsel I Murugan, an advocate of the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, appearing for the petitioners Balachandar and Manthakalai, told newspersons that due to police harassment under the guise of investigation, B Shanthi (30), wife of Balachandar, had committed suicide yesterday. Hence, his petitioners had opted to surrender, he claimed.

It may be recalled that Sivaganga Municipal Chairman P Murugan (DMK) was killed when a powerful remote-controlled bomb planted in his car ripped apart the vehicle near the Municipal Office at Sivaganga. Several people, including a Municipal Councillor, were injured in the blast.

Police suspect that the Municipal Chairman might have been assassinated due to political and business rivalry.

Madurai police have registered a case against two DMK councillors K S M Manimuthu, who contested against Murugan as an official party candidate for the Municipal Chairmanship post during the local body elections, and Mandhakalai, who runs a cable TV network in the town.

The cases were registered under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and the Explosives Act.

UNI