On 7th June, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati issued a statement accusing the Tamil Nadu government of being lenient towards the investigation into the murder of state party chief K Armstrong. He was hacked to death on 5th July near his residence. In her statement, Mayawati demanded that the investigation should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Mayawati reached Chennai to pay last respects to K Armstrong. BSP National Coordinator Akash Anand, who is Mayawati’s nephew as well, accompanied her. While talking to the party workers, Mayawati raised questions on the law and order situation in the state and said, “The way Armstrong has been murdered, it seems there is no law and order left in Tamil Nadu. The main culprits have not been arrested yet.”
Mayawati accused the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government of not being serious about the investigation. She said, “The state government is not serious about this murder investigation otherwise the culprits would have been behind bars. If the state government does not want to serve justice, this matter should be handed over to the CBI. We demand a CBI investigation. If the state government does not refer the case to the CBI, it means they are also involved in this murder.”
She also questioned if Dalits were safe in Tamil Nadu and said, “It is not about one Dalit leader’s murder. The whole of the Dalit community is under threat and many Dalit leaders are scared about their lives.” To make sure the situation does not go out of hand in the state, Mayawati cautioned the BSP cadre not to take the law into their hands. She said, “To ensure action against the accused, the party cadre should come forward but at the same time, stay within the limits of law and show that the weaker section does not take law into their hands.”
Earlier, she posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) condemning the murder of Armstrong. She wrote, “The gruesome killing of Mr K. Armstrong, Tamil Nadu state Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president, outside his Chennai house is highly deplorable and condemnable. An advocate by profession, he was known as a strong Dalit voice in the state. The state Govt. must punish the guilty.” However, the demand has now shifted to transferring the investigation to CBI.
The gruesome killing of Mr. K. Armstrong, Tamil Nadu state Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president, outside his Chennai house is highly deplorable and condemnable. An advocate by profession, he was known as a strong Dalit voice in the state. The state Govt. must punish the guilty.
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) July 5, 2024
On 5th July, K Armstrong, the Tamil Nadu chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), was hacked to death by six bike-borne attackers near his house in Chennai. Some of the attackers were reportedly dressed as delivery agents and used sharp weapons during the attack. They attacked Armstrong when he was holding discussions with his party functionaries near his house in the city’s Sembium area. Following the attack, they fled the crime scene. Armstrong’s family immediately rushed to the spot where he was lying in a pool of blood with severe injuries to his head and neck. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.
