Court: Mayawati aide Armstrong, hacked to death in Chennai, cannot be buried in BSP office

July 7, 2024

Chennai:

The body of K. Armstrong, the BSP’s Tamil Nadu party chief who was hacked to death near his house in Chennai on Friday, cannot be buried at the party’s office in the state capital, the Madras High Court ruled today, upholding the DMK government’s stand.

The court said that K. Armstrong’s body could be buried in a 1-acre private plot in the adjoining Thiruvalluvar district, adding that the funeral procession by BSP supporters must be peaceful.

Earlier, the wife of slain BSP leader K Porkodi had filed a petition seeking permission to bury the body at the party office in Chennai. However, the local municipal administration argued that the BSP office was located in a narrow lane in a congested area and crowding there could lead to a stampede.

Justice V Bhavani Subbarayan observed that the place chosen by the plaintiff for the burial was a transit place. He also asked whether the plaintiff had any other place in mind. The plaintiff then suggested the place of Thiruvalluvar. The local panchayat has made the necessary arrangements.

K. Armstrong’s family had also said they wanted to erect a memorial. The Supreme Court ordered them to hold the funeral procession and said they could approach the state government about the memorial later.

The 47-year-old BSP state president was hacked to death by at least six people near his house on Friday night. Eight suspects have been arrested so far and the city police have ruled out a political motive for the heinous crime.

BSP leader Mayawati demanded a CBI investigation into the attack. “I request the state government and especially the chief minister to ensure law and order in the state. The weaker sections in particular should feel safe. If the government had been serious, the accused would have been arrested. Since this is not the case, we request the state government to refer the case to the CBI,” she said.