Longstanding feud led to TN woman's murder, not politics

Cuddalore DAYS after contradictory claims were made regarding the death of 43-year-old J Gomathi of Pakkirimaniyam village in Cuddalore district on the polling day on Friday, TNIE, after exhaustive interviews with a number of people including the woman's brother-in-law K Jaishankar and a few other relatives, found that the murder was because of longstanding personal enmity between two groups and was not politically motivated.

-  BAGALAVAN PERIER B

Over the last two days, the Tamil Nadu police had filed cases against at least four people, including state BJP chief K Annamalai, for sharing social media posts that claimed that the woman was murdered for voting for the saffron party in the Lok Sabha poll. The Cuddalore district police, in a statement on Tuesday, had rejected the allegation and said the murder was due to existing enmity between two groups.

When TNIE visited Pakkirimaniyam on Wednesday, tension has not eased in the village located close to Srimushnam town in Cuddalore district. Police have been deployed in considerable numbers in the village of 150 households that comes under Ramapuram panchayat.

Most of the families in the village, including the victim and the accused, belong to the Vanniyar community. TNIE had to overcome various police restrictions to meet the families.

JAISHANKAR, a PMK functionary who is the brother-inlaw of Gomathi and vice-president of Ramapuram panchayat, said the key issue was a dispute over 33 cents of poramboke land, a part of which was allegedly registered in the name of J Kalaimani, the main accused in Gomathi's murder, through illegal means.