Former panchayat vice-president run over by tractor, TN villagers allege murder

NAMAKKAL: A former panchayat vice-president of Pallakuzhi village near Mallasamudram in Tiruchengode died after being hit by a tractor on Monday, with villagers and relatives alleging that he was deliberately targeted over his objections to alleged illegal sand mining activities in the area. A person who was accompanying him was also injured in the incident.

The deceased was identified as K Murugan (50), former vice-president of Pallakuzhi panchayat, who was also engaged in identifying groundwater sources. According to police, Murugan and S Srikanth (24) were travelling on a two-wheeler when they were hit by a tractor carrying sand. Murugan suffered severe injuries and died, while Srikanth was injured and is undergoing treatment.

Following the incident, villagers and relatives staged a road blockade with Murugan's body, alleging that he had been questioning people involved in illegal sand mining in the area and was deliberately targeted.

However, the tractor driver and owner, identified as K Anandan (36), reportedly surrendered at the Mallasamudram police station along with the tractor and gave a different account of the incident. According to his version, the tractor was transporting soil with a valid permit when Murugan, who was travelling on a two-wheeler, attempted to overtake the tractor, lost his balance, fell near its rear wheel and was run over.

Police held talks with the protesting villagers and relatives, who maintained that the incident was not an accident but a planned murder. After several hours of discussions, police assured them that Anandan would be arrested and appropriate action will be taken based on the investigation.

Murugan's body was taken to the Tiruchengode Government Hospital, where a postmortem examination was conducted. Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident and the allegations raised by the villagers and relatives.