In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old boy was murdered near Madurai's famous Sri Meenakshi Amman temple, leading to five arrests, while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has concurrently ordered swift and stringent action against those involved in sexual crimes and other heinous offences across the state.
A 17-year-old boy was murdered in the car parking area of the famous Sri Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai on Monday allegedly by a five-member group, the police said.
The assailants, armed with sickles, attacked the teenager when he was alone at the parking lot owned by the Madurai Corporation near the temple. He died on the spot, an official said, and added that the police suspect personal enmity to be behind the killing.
The Vilakkuthoon police, who registered a case, arrested all the five suspects within hours of the crime, which sent shock waves across the city. Two among those arrested were juveniles, the police said. Further investigation is on.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday directed the police to promptly register cases against those involved in sexual crimes, expeditiously investigate and ensure stringent punishment to the culprits.
Reviewing the law and order situation along with senior officials, especially in the wake of the sexual assault and the brutal murder of a 10-year-old girl in Coimbatore, Vijay directed that those involved in heinous crimes should be dealt with strictly and the suspects awarded severe punishment.
At the review meeting, the CM directed the attorney general to speed up the trial, ensure precautionary measures and awareness in cases pertaining to crimes against women and children.
"Sexual assault cases should be tried expeditiously and the culprits given severe punishment by conducting the case properly so as to serve as deterrent to others," Vijay directed the officials, a state government release said.
Chief Secretary M Saikumar, Home Secretary K Manivasan, Advocate General Vijay Narayan, Secretary, Social Welfare and Women's Rights Department Mariam Pallavi Baldev, Director General of Police Sandeep Roy Rathore, and other senior officials participated in the meeting held at the Secretariat in Chennai.