Diwali revellers kill cop, techie in separate Tamil Nadu incidents

On Diwali night in Tamil Nadu, two individuals were killed during disputes over firecrackers

COIMBATORE: Two people were killed in Tamil Nadu on Diwali night following arguments over bursting firecrackers, with a SI beaten to death in Theni district and an IT company employee stabbed in Trichy district.Police said special SI Senthil Kumar, 56, attached to Theni DSP’s office, was returning home in plain clothes after duty when he noticed a group of youths, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, bursting crackers on the road at Samatharmapuram.He warned the youths against obstructing traffic, but they allegedly paid no heed. When Senthil started recording their activities on his phone, they assaulted him. As the SSI collapsed on the road, the youths fled, police said.

The cop later died in hospital.Cops arrested six persons on murder and other charges. CM C Joseph Vijay announced a solatium of Rs 40 lakh for the deceased cop’s family.The second murder was reported from Purathakudi village in Trichy. The victim, X Christopher, who worked as a technician with an IT company in Chennai, had come home to celebrate Diwali.On Sunday night, C Donald, 20, and J Edison, 20, residents of the same village, were passing through the street where Christopher and his friend Ranjith were bursting crackers.

The duo picked up a fight with Christopher and his friend, claiming that splinters of crackers had fallen on them.As the argument escalated, Donald, an electrician, suddenly took out a tester screwdriver and stabbed Christopher on the left side of his chest and back.

When Ranjith attempted to intervene and save his friend, Donald and Edison assaulted him before fleeing the scene.