AIADMK man beats woman, 82, to death; party expels him

Trichy: An AIADMK functionary in Tiruvarur district was arrested on Thursday for beating his neighbour to death. Party general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami has removed him from the party's primary membership for bringing the party into disrepute.The accused, C Anand Babu, 32, was the district deputy secretary of AIADMK's IT wing in Tiruvarur. He was living with his mother, Malarkodi, 60, in Vettikadu village in Mannargudi taluk. An 82-year-old woman named Muthulakshmi was living in the house next to theirs.Police said Malarkodi used to quarrel with Muthulakshmi over several issues. On the evening of June 24, an argument broke out between the two regarding tethering cattle before their houses. Anand Babu was present at home when the quarrel occurred and was allegedly inebriated. When the argument intensified, he and his mother hit Muthulakshmi with woodenlogs.As the elderly woman collapsed, neighbours rushed her to Mannargudi General Hospital for treatment. On Wednesday evening, she succumbed to her injuries. A case was registered under Vaduvoor police station under BNS section 101 (murder). Anand Babu and Malarkodi were arrested on Thursday and an investigation is in progress.After expelling him from AIADMK, Palaniswami noted on the party's official social media pages that Anand Babu acted against the party's ideology and principles, and violated discipline. He urged party cadres not to maintain any contact with Anand Babu.