The Tamil Nadu police in Chennai shot dead another accused in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president K Armstrong. The history-sheeter, known as "Seizing" Raja, was killed in Akkarai, near Neelankarai, on Monday, September 23. One of the accused in Armstrong’s murder case, Thiruvengatam, was shot dead by the police on July 14 near Madhavaram in Chennai. Last week, Kakathopu Raja, an accused in an unrelated case was shot dead. However, police said the incident had no relation to the Armstrong murder case.
Armstrong was brutally hacked to death outside his under-construction home in Chennai’s Perambur area on July 5. According to reports, Kakathopu Raja was arrested in Andhra Pradesh and brought to Chennai. Raja attempted to flee when police escorted him to a location where he had allegedly hidden weapons, reports said. He further reportedly attacked police before fleeing. However it must be noted that similar circumstances allegedly led to Thiruvengatam’s death.
At the time police claimed that Thiruvengatam had attacked them and tried to flee when they opened fire on him. Police sources also said at the time that Thiruvengatam had admitted to supplying the weapons used to murder Armstrong. At around 5:30 am on that day, Thiruvengatam was taken to a shed where he allegedly told police had hidden the weapons following which he allegedly attacked them and attempted to flee.
Speaking to the media, Raja’s wife said that the police had unnecessarily arrested her husband and she had evidence to prove his innocence. “We have been married for two years and he has not taken part in any crime since. I am hearing news that he has been killed in an encounter. Raja does not have any relation to Armstrong’s murder. He was with me on the day of that murder,” she said.
In reaction to Kakathopu Raja’s killing, the human rights organisation People’s Watch has released a statement pointing out that this is the 16th extrajudicial killing in Tamil Nadu since the DMK came to power in 2021. The CPI(M) has also criticised the killing and has said that such “encounters”—as extrajudicial murderers are described— have “increased” in Tamil Nadu and that the police’ reasoning is not “believable”.