On February 4, a video clip showing V Ramalingam (48) arguing with few Muslim men trying to convert Hindus in Packiyanathan Thoppu, a Dalit locality in Thirubuvanam, went viral on social media. In the video he was heard saying that, “I am ready to go to mosque a mosque and pray. We are ready to live together. Stop dividing people.”
In the clip, he was also seen smearing holy ash (Vibhuti) on one of the youth and taking his skull cap and wearing it himself.
On February 5, when Ramalingam was returning home from his shop at the Thirubhuvanam Bazaar accompanied by his teen aged son a car-borne gang blocked their van in a locality dominated by minorities and brutally hacked him to death. Ramalingam was taken to Kumbakonam General Hospital and later to Thanjavur Medical college hospital, where he is declared brought dead.
V Ramalingam was a Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) activist, who used to rent out utensils and shamiana for marriages.
According to Tamil Nadu Police, the group seen in the video belongs to Popular Front of India (PFI), an extremist and militant Islamic fundamentalist organization.
As usually, media painted the entire gory incident as “Murder Of PMK Man Sparks Tension” and “PMK Man Hacked To Death”.
PMK founder Dr. S. Ramadoss said Ramalingam was hacked to death because he allegedly opposed religious conversions.
Hindu organizations stage road roko at Thirubhuvanam Bazaar to condemn the murder of Ramalingam.
They are demanding immediate arrest of all conspirators, even as a heavy posse of police personnel including DIG J Loganathan (Thanjavur range) camps in the town.