The murder of a 37-year-old scrap merchant in Chennai last Saturday, December 3, 2022, by ganja peddlers has raised serious concerns about the safety of police informants in the state. Munuswamy was killed for allegedly tipping the police regarding the sale of ganja near Allikulam Complex near Chennai Central Railway Station. It is the third such case in the last two years where the person who shared information with the police about ganja peddling was brutally murdered.
In the year 2021, Wasim Akram, a state-level functionary of Manithaneya Jananayaka Katchi was hacked to death by a gang in Tirupattur district. Police investigations revealed that a group of drug peddlers murdered Wasim Akram because he tipped off the police about their activities. In the same year, 32-year-old AIADMK functionary Silambarasan was dragged from his house and was hacked to death in Sholavaram in Chennai for the same reason.
According to police sources, in November, Munuswamy had tipped off the police regarding the sale of ganja near the Allikulam area by a person named Manikandan, who was also involved in selling second-hand mobile phones. The Periamet police visited Manikandan’s shop and warned him against selling ganja. Later, Manikandan found out that it was Munuswamy who tipped the police and decided to murder him. On December 3, Munuswamy was chased by a gang and was hacked to death inside the Allikulam Market Complex, which also houses the Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
On the same day, Tiruvallur district police arrested five men during a routine vehicle check who confessed to killing Munuswamy in Chennai. The accused were identified as Manikandan and his accomplices Ashraf Ali, Abbas, Abraham and Kishore. All of them have been charged with murder and remanded in judicial custody.
This comes at a time when the Tamil Nadu government has launched a campaign called ‘Drug Free Tamil Nadu’ and police have intensified their ongoing drive against drugs across the state. Speaking to TNM, Munuswamy’s wife Jayanthi, asks who leaked information about Munuswamy tipping off the police. “Police officers would visit my husband’s shop and ask for information. He would have informed them about what was happening. A lot of youngsters visit the park nearby where ganja is sold,” Jayanthi adds.
Activist Geetha, who is an advisor for the Unorganised Workers Federation, says Munuswamy’s murder is shocking. “We are shocked, and we are unable to digest this. He was killed inside the court premises. He would have thought that nothing would happen to him inside a court campus. This goes to show how powerful these ganja peddlers have become,” she adds.
Speaking to TNM, C Rajashekaran, advocate and Founder of Voice of Tamizhnadu, says the informant's life should be the utmost priority for the police. “It is alarming and dangerous that the information given by the informer has been leaked to the accused. It speaks volumes of the reputation and character of the police personnel whom the informant has trusted. Hereafter, informers with police or other enforcement agencies will refrain from giving information fearing for their lives. The police department should conduct an internal inquiry and take stringent action against those who leaked the information,” he says.