Tamil Nadu Double Murder: Annamalai Attacks CM Vijay, Asks To Focus On Law and Order in State

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is under sharp scrutiny over law and order after two brutal crimes against children in Madurai and Coimbatore. Within 15 days of the TVK-led coalition taking office, the murder of a 17-year-old boy and the rape-cum-murder of a 10-year-old girl have triggered political outrage and raised questions about election promises on public safety.

Opposition parties allege that the situation on the ground contrasts with Vijay’s campaign focus on women’s and children’s security. Leaders from the BJP, DMK and AIADMK accuse the TVK government of failing to respond with seriousness, pointing to recent incidents, the conduct of a TVK minister, and visuals from a police briefing that went viral and drew widespread criticism.

Tamil Nadu law and order debate over Coimbatore and Madurai crimes

The immediate flashpoint is the killing of 17-year-old A Gubendran in Madurai and the rape-cum-murder of a 10-year-old girl near Sulur in Coimbatore district. Gubendran was allegedly stabbed by a gang of five at the Madurai Corporation’s shopping complex in the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. The Sulur case, involving a minor, has become a rallying point for opposition attacks on the TVK administration.

Former Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai is among the most vocal critics of the state’s Tamil Nadu law and order record under the new government. Annamalai said the administration is “yet to emerge from its celebratory mood” and accused the police of failing to learn from previous lapses. The comments, posted on X, follow a series of posts targeting Vijay over crimes against minors.

On May 22, Annamalai urged the Vijay-led government and the Tamil Nadu police to act swiftly in the Coimbatore rape-cum-murder. He wrote that the environment for women and children had not improved since the earlier DMK regime. "It is deeply concerning that the same unsafe environment for women and children that prevailed during the previous DMK regime continues even now," Annamalai wrote on X.

Opposition leaders sharpen attack on Tamil Nadu law and order

Annamalai further stated that "Drug peddlers, sexual assaulters, and murderers have a free pass in Tamil Nadu. The State police seem to have learnt no lessons from the past, and the new TVK government is yet to emerge from its celebratory mode and confront the grim realities unfolding on the ground." His post on May 25 came shortly after news of Gubendran’s murder in Madurai.

The Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Udhayanidhi Stalin, also questioned Vijay on Tamil Nadu law and order, invoking a comparison with another state. "Respected Chief Minister Sir, Is this Tamil Nadu, or Uttar Pradesh?" Udhayanidhi asked on X. Udhayanidhi said Vijay, who used strong language during the campaign, was "now refusing to open his mouth" when confronted with these crimes.

Udhayanidhi listed several recent incidents to underline the criticism. "Under the rule of those who spoke about change, Tamil Nadu's law and order situation has deteriorated. After the murder of a girl in Sulur, there has now been a sexual assault of a girl in Villupuram district. The body of the Sulur girl was cremated without informing her mother. A boy was murdered near a temple in Madurai, and a petrol bomb was hurled at the house of a woman in Coimbatore," Udhayanidhi posted on Monday.

AIADMK and BJP escalate Tamil Nadu law and order criticism

AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, known as EPS, joined the debate by questioning whether Vijay’s administration differs from the previous DMK government on Tamil Nadu law and order. "Is the current Vijay's government another DMK government in destroying women's safety? Where is the safety for women and girl children in Tamil Nadu?" EPS asked, adding that Vijay must remember campaign assurances and order strict action against offenders.

Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagenthran accused Vijay of standing by as children suffer. "Whichever children Joseph Vijay incited by urging their parents to cast votes for him, whichever children he manipulated by delivering sentimental lines like "I am your uncle", it is a perverse trait that he finds amusement in watching those very children get ensnared daily by sexual predators and torn apart," Nagenthran wrote on X, intensifying pressure on the chief minister.

Minister and police reactions deepen Tamil Nadu law and order row

A separate controversy over Tamil Nadu law and order emerged from Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Keerthana’s response when journalists asked about the Coimbatore rape-cum-murder. After an official meeting on Sunday, Keerthana said she would answer only "administrative questions" and declined to comment on the minor’s murder. BJP leaders alleged that the minister appeared to smile while giving this response, calling it insensitive.

BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam said, "We have a woman minister who was all smiles when asked about this tragic murder of a 10-year-old child. She said she would only take questions on administrative matters and laughed it off." Selvam criticised Keerthana further for later writing on social media that smiling was natural, arguing that such a stance ignored public anger in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu law and order debate intensified after another video surfaced from a joint police press briefing on the Coimbatore case. The clip showed senior police official R V Ramya Bharathi smiling and gesturing moments before addressing reporters. The visuals sparked questions about the sensitivity of officials handling crimes involving minors, especially as the Home Ministry, which controls the police, is directly under Chief Minister Vijay.

TVK government cites Pocso verdict to defend Tamil Nadu law and order

Facing mounting criticism, Vijay highlighted a recent Pocso case to defend the government’s Tamil Nadu law and order record. On X, Vijay referred to a case from Vilathikulam in Thoothukudi district, where a class 12 student was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered in March. The Thoothukudi District Pocso Court, after a fast-tracked trial, sentenced the accused, Dharma Muniswaran, to a double death penalty for rape and murder on Tuesday.

Vijay stressed that investigators examined 71 witnesses and moved the case swiftly. "Justice has been delivered at an unprecedented speed within three months of this heinous incident," he wrote, calling the verdict "commendable" and saying it provided strong backing for measures to protect women and children. Vijay projected the judgment as proof that the administration responds firmly when such crimes occur.

Supporters of the TVK government present the Pocso verdict as evidence that Tamil Nadu law and order mechanisms can act quickly when required. Critics, however, argue that isolated fast-tracked cases cannot replace broader reforms on policing, crime prevention and handling of victims’ families. The debate continues as the Coimbatore and Madurai cases remain under scrutiny from both the public and political parties.

For Vijay and the TVK, the sequence of crimes, controversial responses and opposition attacks has become the first major examination of promises made during the party’s debut election victory. Many in Tamil Nadu are watching how the government handles these investigations, manages official communication and addresses safety for women, children and the elderly in the coming months.