Over 14 dead in 17-year-long gang rivalry

MADURAI: It was a dispute over pasting posters between two upcoming political leaders that has resulted in a chain of retaliatory killings of over 14 people since 2001, including the two killed in a police shootout on Thursday. The rivalry between V K

Gurusamy

and Rajapandi from neighbouring localities near

Keerathurai

in Madurai city spans over 15 years, causing heavy losses on both sides in terms of men and money.

Both Gurusamy and Rajapandi were councillors and had also served as city corporation zonal chairmen in the past. While V K Gurusamy was a local leader of DMK, Rajapandi represented AIADMK. Both of them hailed from the same village near Kamuthi in

Ramanathapuram

district and are also relatives. But they ended up becoming arch rivals during a show of strength in the 2001 local body elections. The first murder took place in 2003 when V K Gurusamy’s men killed Rajapandi’s elder brother’s son.

Muthu Irulandi and ‘Saguni’ Karthick, who were killed in the police shootout on the city outskirts on Thursday evening, were Rajapandi’s men. They had been involved in several brutal murders in the rivalry as well as for money.

While eight men have been eliminated from V K Gurusamy’s side so far, four have lost their lives from his arch rival’s camp. The duo has lost their dear ones also. Rajapandi’s son

Thoppuli Muniasamy

was kidnapped from his house in

Vandiyur

and beaten to death. His body was completely burnt and left in a secluded place near Kamuthi in Ramanthapuram last year. It was carried out in retaliation for the murder of Muthuramalingam, son-in-law of V K Gurusamy in 2016. In October 2016, Rajapandi’s heavily armed men tried to enter V K Gurusamy’s house with the intention of murdering him. However, as they came to know that he was not present, the disappointed gang went on a rampage attacking people and vehicles they spotted on road. TNN


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