A Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) of Tamil Nadu Police, M. Shanmugavel, 57, was brutally hacked to death late Tuesday night in Gudimangalam, Tiruppur district, while attempting to resolve a violent family dispute at a farm owned by AIADMK MLA C. Mahendran. The incident, which has shocked the state, prompted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to announce a Rs 1 crore compensation for Shanmugavel’s family.

Police reports indicate that Shanmugavel and Armed Reserve constable Azhagu Raja, 35, responded to an emergency call around 11 PM via the Dial 100 helpline, reporting a drunken altercation between Murthy (also referred to as Moorthy), a farm worker from Vedansanthur, Dindigul district, and his two sons, Thangapandian and Manikandan, employed at Mahendran’s estate in the Sikanuthu area.

The dispute escalated when Thangapandian allegedly assaulted his father. Shanmugavel intervened, separating the men and arranging for Murthy’s hospitalization. Enraged by the intervention, Thangapandian reportedly attacked Shanmugavel with a sickle, killing him on the spot, before chasing off Azhagu Raja. The accused—Murthy, Thangapandian, and Manikandan—fled and remain at large, with police releasing their photos to aid the manhunt.

“I’m deeply shocked by this tragic loss,” said CM Stalin, directing police to swiftly apprehend the culprits. The incident, occurring on the Madathukulam MLA’s property, has raised questions about local safety and oversight. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and investigations are ongoing to trace the absconding trio. Shanmugavel, from Thalavai Pattinam near Dharapuram, leaves behind a grieving family and a shaken police force.

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