Akash Anand, the national coordinator of BSP, also made his way to Chennai earlier in the day to honor the slain party leader.
“We urge the state government to refer the case to the CBI,” BSP chief Mayawati said after paying homage.
She added, “I urge the state government and especially the CM that he should ensure law and order in the state, weaker sections in particular should feel safe. Had the government been serious, the accused would have been arrested, but now since that’s not the case, we urge the state government to refer the case to the CBI.”
Mayawati had called upon the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government to “punish the guilty” and strongly denounced the murder, labeling it as “highly deplorable and condemnable.” She pointed out Armstrong’s significance as a prominent Dalit voice in Tamil Nadu and urged the state government to take immediate action.
Sandeep Rai Rathore, the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, announced on Saturday that eight individuals suspected of involvement in Armstrong’s murder have been taken into custody and are currently being interrogated. Rathore said, “Eight people have been apprehended who we suspect to be involved in this crime. They are being questioned. Armstrong’s post-mortem has been conducted.” He reassured the public that the situation in Chennai remains stable and expressed the police department’s determination to solve the case by investigating all possible angles and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
BSP leader’s brutal murder
The incident occurred on Friday evening, July 5, when K Armstrong, 47, was attacked and killed by a gang of six individuals while he was engaged in conversation with friends and supporters near his residence in a busy area at Sembiam, close to Perambur.
The police reported that the gang, riding on three motorcycles, arrived at approximately 7 pm and assaulted Armstrong with deadly weapons. His associates were unable to intervene and come to his aid before the gang brutally attacked him and fled, leaving him severely injured. Armstrong’s friends, who were conversing with him, fled the scene after being threatened by the gang members wielding machetes and sickles.
Upon hearing his cries for help, Armstrong’s family members rushed to the location, only to find him gravely wounded on his head and neck. They promptly transported him to a corporate hospital on Greams Road in Thousand Lights, where doctors declared him dead upon examination.
Motives behind the attack
The Chennai police have identified two potential motives behind the brutal murder of K Armstrong. Firstly, they suspect a rivalry between Arcot Suresh and Armstrong concerning the Aarudhra gold loan scheme scam, which involves several hundred crores. While Suresh allegedly represented the promoters, Armstrong supported the major investors. Notably, Arcot Suresh was murdered at Foreshore Estate on August 18, 2023, and one of the eight individuals who surrendered is Ponnai Balu, the younger brother of Arcot Suresh.
Ponnai Balu suspected Armstrong’s involvement in a recent attempt on his life. Officers who interrogated Balu reported that he informed them of his gang’s plan to murder Armstrong either on Arcot Suresh’s birthday, July 5, which they successfully carried out, or prior to his first death anniversary in the upcoming month.
Protests by party workers
In response to the murder, BSP workers gathered outside the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital mortuary, raising slogans demanding an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the resignation of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin.
Several BSP workers staged a sit-in protest on Poonamallee High Road, causing traffic disruptions and halting vehicular movement. They also broke barricades in an attempt to enter the hospital premises, with the police striving to control them.
