Attacked HM leader succumbs to injuries; BJP condemns murder

, Jun 19: A Hindu Munnani functionary, seriously injured in an attack by a four-member gang, succumbed to injuries at a city hospital, police said today.

Hindu Munnani Tiruvallur District President Suresh Kumar was severely attacked by unidentified persons while closing his photocopy shop in suburban Ambattur late last night. He was immediately rushed to a private hospital in a critical condition but died without responding to treatment within hours, police said.

BJP Tamil Nadu unit president and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan today condemned the murder of Kumar and urged the state government to bring to book the culprits.

"It has become a routine that leaders belonging to Hindu outfits are being murdered. This incident has happened only because there was no expeditious legal action to punish those responsible for the murders of leaders like Auditor Ramesh last year," he said in a statement.

Only if the real culprits in these crimes were booked and punished, murders like this could be prevented, he said. Extending his condolences to the family of Kumar, he asked the state government to identify the real perpetrators of these crimes and ensure exemplary punishment as that alone could prevent recurrence of such incidents.

The state government had set up a Special Investigation Division (SID) to probe the murders of BJP and Hindu outfit leaders after the murder of Ramesh in Salem last year. Meanwhile, tension prevailed in a city locality this morning as some persons allegedly pelted stones on government buses while the body of Kumar was being taken to his home after post mortem, police said.

PTI