The Nanguneri police have arrested seven persons, including four teenagers, who allegedly launched an indiscriminate attack at Perumpaththu village near Nanguneri on Monday night (March 2, 2026), in which two persons died, and seven others sustained serious cut injuries.
The deceased were identified as John, 42, a person with disabilities, and D. Trinath Kata, 50, a migrant labourer from Odisha. The injured have also been admitted to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, with A. Nelson, 55, is said to be in critical condition.
The arrested were identified as S. Kannan, 21, of Thennimalai, A. Uchchimakaali alias Mittai, 20, of Valliyoor, M. Vasanthakumar, 21, of Nedunkulam, P. Antony Michael, 18, of Thennimalai, M. Subbaiah alias Subhash, 19, of Thennimalai, S. Kalyani, 19, of Thennimalai, and M. Raja, 19, of Nanguneri. Of those arrested, Subbaiah and Kalyani have also been named as accused in the attempt to murder Chinnadurai, a Scheduled Caste (SC) boy, on August 9, 2023.
The attack triggered rumours of a caste clash, leading residents of Perumpaththu to stage a road roko on Nanguneri-Ervadi Road late on Monday (March 2). They alleged that the accused were intoxicated. The police, however, did not confirm if the assailants were intoxicated.
Tension prevailed on Tuesday (March 3) as well, with protesters attempting to block traffic on the Tirunelveli-Kanniyakumari National Highway. The police later dispersed the agitators. The incident heightened tension in Nanguneri, which had witnessed caste-related violence in the past.
Additional Director-General of Police Maheshwar Dayal, who arrived in Tirunelveli on Tuesday (March 3), reviewed the situation. Police sources said while the assailants were suspected to belong to a caste Hindu community, John was from an SC community, and four of the injured belonged to a Most Backward Community. Tirunelveli MP C. Robert Bruce condemned the attack and appealed to the State government to provide compensation and employment assistance to the families of the deceased.
