Police say north Indian identity was not behind the attack on Odisha youth in Tiruttani 

Rejecting the criticism of the Opposition parties and others about the attack on an Odisha youth in Tiruttani last week, Inspector-General of Police (North Zone) Asra Garg said on Tuesday that the preliminary investigation yielded no evidence to show the attack by four boys was motivated by his north Indian identity.

Addressing media persons here, Mr. Garg, along with Tiruvallur SP Vivekanand Shukla, said, “We examined his version in the complaint and the FIR and found that the incident stemmed from a dispute after he questioned the boys as to why they were staring at him. It was not entirely due to his being from north India.”

On December 27, the youth was attacked by two of the four boys with a sickle while travelling in a train. When the train reached Tiruttani, they forced him to get down. Using two sickles, they attacked him again near the railway quarters. They also videographed the attack and circulated the video on social media.

Mr. Garg said that according to preliminary reports, the affected man was not a guest worker and was not doing any work at all. He travelled on trains to different towns in Tamil Nadu without any purpose. “After the incident was reported, medical assistance was given to the victim immediately. He was taken first to a hospital in Tiruvallur and referred to the district headquarters hospital. From there, he was taken to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai,” he said.

“A case was registered immediately on receipt of the victim’s complaint under Section 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the most stringent provision invoked in this case. An ex-serviceman was engaged as an interpreter at the police station, and the complaint was recorded based on the victim’s statement,” he added.

Investigation revealed that the offence was committed by four children in conflict with law with the intention of uploading Instagram reels. They were apprehended and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. Three of them were sent to the place of safety, Chengalpattu, and one was released on bail. Mr. Garg said the consumption of drugs by the boys was the subject of the investigation.

The police officers added that since the victim was out of danger, he left the hospital on his own.

Mr. Garg said there was no sense of fear among north Indian workers in Tiruvallur or in the industrial belts of Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram. “As you are aware, thousands of migrant labourers are working in these areas, and no such incidents have occurred. Guest workers are under our close watch through HR teams and regular police patrolling, and immediate action is taken upon visiting the spot. If need be, arrests have been made,” he said.

“We are also monitoring social media reels through which such incidents often come to light. Cases have been registered in several instances involving minor offences; in some cases, those involved were warned, and among them were school students. We are fully aware of the situation and making our best efforts to maintain law and order,” Mr. Garg said.

PMK founder’s plea

Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss has urged the government to act against those selling narcotic substances. In a statement, he said the proliferation of narcotic substances across the State led students and youth down the wrong path. He pointed to the Tiruttani incident and the similar one at Virudhachalam in September last year, in which three youths forced a young man to kneel, assaulted him with iron rods and wooden sticks, and posted the video on social media platforms.

‘Fear among the people’

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay said the future of the youth in Tamil Nadu was being ruined by the proliferation of narcotic substances. He said the Tiruttani incident had created fear among the people and shaken the collective conscience over the direction in which the State was heading.