Death of K. Armstrong: Madras High Court proposes to bury Armstrong’s body elsewhere

The Madras High Court held a special sitting on July 7 to hear a petition seeking permission to bury the body of slain Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Tamil Nadu leader K. Armstrong and erect a tomb on the premises of the party headquarters at Perambur in Chennai.

Justice V. Bhavani Subbaroyan, hearing the plea filed by the late politician’s 50-year-old wife A. Porkodi, suggested that the body should first be buried at one of the three alternative sites suggested by the Greater Chennai Corporation and then shifted to a better location.

The judge said it was not possible to authorize the burial of the body on the party office premises as it was located in a residential area with a narrow access road. She also said the party office plot was only about 220 square meters and already had a superstructure built on it.

When the plaintiff’s counsel Krisha Kumar said that the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had approved the burial of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) leader Vijayakant at his party office in Koyambedu last year, Deputy Advocate General J. Ravindran said it was a very large piece of land.

“We have a heart but our hands are tied,” the AAG said, adding that the GCC Commissioner had issued an order denying the burial of Armstrong’s body at the BSP party premises in Chennai because it was a densely populated residential area with a narrow access road.

However, the AAG stated that the state government has identified three other alternative sites where the body can be buried. One of these sites, which covers an area of ​​185 square metres, is just 1.5 kilometres from where the plaintiff wants to bury the body.

The judge found the arguments to be valid and said that the plaintiff could accept the government’s proposal and first bury the body at one of the alternative sites and then transfer it to another, better site after purchasing a good plot of land with suitable access roads.

Since many of Armstrong’s supporters could gather to pay their last respects, a situation like the stampede in Hathras should not arise here, the judge said. Therefore, it would be advisable to bury the body in a suitable place, she said, granting the plaintiff’s lawyer until noon to seek instructions.

The BSP state president was hacked to death by an armed gang in Chennai on Friday evening.