Govt Not Responsible for Revenge Killing: Minister S Regupathy

Chennai: Asserting that the law and order situation in the State was perfect and that the police were now weeding out anti-social elements systematically, State Law Minister S Regupathy said on Monday that the government could not be held responsible for revenge killings.

Responding to the charges of the Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, who alleged that 595 murders had been committed since January 1, the Law Minister told the media at the Secretariat that the State continued to be a garden of peace, attracting industrialists and businesspersons keen on making investments in new ventures.

While the police were closely watching the old known rowdies, a younger crop of new criminals had mushroomed, he said, adding that the police were working on eliminating them. Otherwise it was not right to term the State as a murder capital or a violent place, he said.

When the government had very well managed to keep the Law and Order situation intact, the State cannot be accused of failing to prevent the murders committed out of revenge or due to previous enmity, he said. The crime rate might have gone up since the population of the State has also grown, he said.

In a bid to dispel the wrong image sought to be created by opposition parties with regard to the law and order situation, the Minister pointed out that when they listed out murders they even included those that had happened in the neighboring Puducherry to boost up the numbers.

Asked about a prevailing threat perception in the State, he said that anyone fearing attacks could alert the police and get protection and added that there was no fear among the people.

However, criticism of the opposition parties on the deteriorating law and order continued with PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss alleging that political functionaries of different parties were murdered in different places on Sunday.

In a statement on Monday, Anbumani Ramadoss listed the victims as Padmanathan of the AIADMK in Cuddalore, Selvakumar of BJP in Sivagangai district and Jackson, husband of AIADMK functionary Usharani, in Kanyakumari district.

Anbumani Ramadoss urged the police to not cover up the murders saying that they were committed due to previous enmity and also referred to a video of two 17-year-old youth indulging in violence going viral, pointing to an increase in crime due to drug use.