Tamil Nadu's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president, K Armstrong, succumbed to death after being attacked by men armed with knives near his residence in Chennai. In the attack, which took place on Friday, a six-member bike-borne gang targeted and stabbed him. Lashing out at the horrific incident, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati condemned the murder The 52-year-old BSP leader on Saturday, calling it "brutal" and requested the government to take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
In a post in Hindi on her social media handle X, Mayawati stated that Armstrong was "a dedicated and hardworking BSP leader". "The brutal murder of K Armstrong, a dedicated and hardworking BSP leader and president of the party's Tamil Nadu unit, outside his Chennai residence last evening, has caused widespread sorrow and outrage in the entire society. The government must take immediate and necessary action to prevent such incidents in the future," she mentioned in the post.
The BSP chief will be travelling to Chennai on Sunday. "Considering the seriousness of this tragic incident, tomorrow morning I will be going to Chennai to pay homage to Armstrong and meet his grieving family to offer condolences. I appeal to all to maintain peace and order," she also wrote.
According to PTI, a senior police official reported that at least eight suspects have been detained in connection with the murder of the BSP state president.
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'Tamil Nadu Govt Pushing State Towards Anarchy': Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Addressing a gathering in Chennai, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the DMK government of jeopardising the future of Tamil Nadu's youth. He urged the people to commit to ousting the DMK government. Citing the brutal murder of the BSP Tamil Nadu unit chief, he alleged that the current DMK government is leading the state toward anarchy.
"DMK government is destroying the future of the youth of Tamil Nadu...The youth of Tamil Nadu should resolve to remove the DMK government from power...A political leader was brutally murdered yesterday and the present government is pushing the state towards anarchy...DMK government does not want the development of the state and the welfare of the poor...Let us all resolve to bring BJP government into power in Tamil Nadu in 2026" he said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
Other than Shivraj Singh, BJP national president, and Union Health Minister JP Nadda hit out at the Tamil Nadu government over Armstrong's murder, stating, "The gruesome murder of Thiru K. Armstrong has angered the entire nation. An upcoming leader’s life, which was devoted to empowering the marginalised sections of society, was brutally cut short. My thoughts are with his family and friends."
"I urge the TN Government to punish the culprits at the earliest. The killing of Thiru Armstrong has also reaffirmed what is widely known- the disregard of the DMK-Congress towards the poor and marginalised sections of society. Several of those affected by the spurious liquor tragedy were also from these sections of society. It is better DMK-Congress show compassion instead of indulging in petty politics 24X7," he added.
Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed shock and sorrow over the murder of Armstrong. "The police have arrested those involved in his murder in an overnight operation," Stalin said in his post on X. He instructed the police to expedite the investigation and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
