India police arrested 11 suspects claimed to be involved in the murder of K Armstrong, on Saturday. The murder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Tamil Nadu chief, took place on Friday, in Chennai. It is confirmed that the murder was carried out by a gang of six men close to his house of Friday evening.
Armstrong became the head of the Tamil Nadu branch of BSP in 2007, after earlier contesting as an independent candidate in elections. BSP is one of the six recognized national parties in India, and was formed specifically as a platform for marginalized communities, namely “lower” caste people, also known as Dalits, as well as those belonging to marginalized tribes. In wake of his death, Armstrong was called “a strong Dalit voice” by the national president of BSP. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, also expressed his condolences and stated that he had called for an expedited investigation to bring justice as soon as possible.
As per police sources, the assailants claimed to be food deliverymen and were dressed accordingly, before attacking Armstrong with knives. The Chennai police was able to to arrest eight suspects within three hours of the attack and its reporting to the police. Sources have speculated that one of the suspects, Arcot Balu planned the attack as revenge for the murder of his brother, Arcot Suresh, which he believed was abetted by Armstrong.
Several BSP workers gathered for a demonstration following the murder to demand an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as well as to demand the resignation of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin. BSP president Mayawati, has also called for a CBI investigation.
The murder comes in the wake of several instances of political violence in different regions of India. This includes a recent terror attack in the region of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as a resurgence of violence in Manipur, which has been facing conflicts for over a year. There have also been increased concerns of increased aggression against certain communities, as the BJP government moves into its third tenure as the ruling party in India.
