Tamil Nadu’s law and order record came under fresh political scrutiny on Wednesday after former chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin cited a series of murders and attacks across the state and questioned the effectiveness of police surveillance, patrols and action.
In a post on X, Stalin referred to incidents reported in Chennai, Tiruttani, Salem, Dindigul and Madurai. He alleged that residents were increasingly feeling unsafe both inside and outside their homes, and questioned whether the police were adequately monitoring known criminals and responding to complaints made at police stations.
Among the cases cited by Stalin was the murder of a 19-year-old youth in Mylapore. He also referred to the killing of a man in Tiruttani who, according to his post, had approached the police over alleged harassment of his 17-year-old daughter. Stalin questioned how a person who had sought police assistance could allegedly become a victim of violence.
In Salem, Stalin said an elderly woman, identified as Janabai, was allegedly strangled inside her home during the day and robbed of her jewellery. He also mentioned the reported hacking of Veerabathiran in Dindigul district while he was returning with his wife after signing for bail at Sanarpatti police station. Stalin questioned whether the incident indicated inadequate surveillance of people with criminal records.
The incidents cited in the post also included the murder of a youth near Samayanallur in Madurai, the reported hacking of Shyam Sundarraj near a TASMAC outlet in Sholavandan and an alleged attempt to attack students at Ennore railway station. The allegations and circumstances of the individual cases were presented by Stalin in the context of his wider criticism of the state government’s handling of public safety.
Stalin also questioned the functioning of the government’s ‘Singapenn’ task force for women’s safety. He asked whether the initiative would show the same enthusiasm for women’s safety as it had for posting Instagram reels. His remarks placed the focus on both street-level policing and the state’s public communication around safety programmes.
Turning his criticism towards Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, who also holds the police portfolio, Stalin said the chief minister must recognise the seriousness of the situation. “The Chief Minister, who holds the portfolio for the police department, must realise the severity of the situation. The time for making excuses has passed,” he said in the post.
Stalin ended his statement with a reference to Vijay’s repeated use of the word “shooting” during his political campaign. He urged the chief minister to move from what he described as “Take-Action” shooting mode to actually taking action. The remarks followed earlier criticism by Stalin over Vijay’s campaign references and his alleged continuation in an “acting mode” after entering politics.
The latest statement puts police response, complaint handling, surveillance of alleged criminal networks and women’s safety mechanisms at the centre of the state’s current political debate. The report did not include a response from the chief minister’s office or the police department to the allegations.
