Two Dalits murdered; 3 injured in lathicharge

Two Dalits, one a district secretary of a Dalit outfit, were allegedly murdered in different areas today, leading to violence by protesters and a police lathicharge to disperse them, injuring three persons.
Mahesh, District Secretary of Mallar Meetpu Kazhagam was allegedly murdered by a gang at Purkidmal Nagar in the city while he was talking to his friends, while N Marimuthu was murdered at nearby Kottaram, police said.
Mahesh had complained to the District Collector yesterday to initiate action under Protection of Civil Rights Act over a recent incident in which another Dalit youth was allegedly hacked and injured at Seevalaperi Pottal after a skirmish between him and caste Hindus, they said.

They had also prevented the youth from being taken to a hospital for treatment. However, police intervened and and got him admitted.
Police said that Dalits in Purkidmal Nagar blocked the road, demanding the arrest of the culprits responsible for Mahesh's murder and pelted stones at buses, damaging two of them. Attempts to get them to disperse failed after which police lathicharged them, injuring three persons.
Marimuthu, hailing from Kottaram near Melpakkam, 14 km from here, had demanded money from illegal sand miners operating in the area and might have been done away by them, they said.
Armed reserve Police has been deployed in sensitive areas to monitor the situation, they added.