Recent spate of murders in Chennai is shocking
The recent spate of murders in Chennai, some of which were carried out in broad daylight in full public view, has not only sent shockwaves through the city but also cast a shadow on its reputation as a relatively safe city. In just these past four weeks, the southern capital has seen as many as six separate murder cases. On June 5, advocate Murugan was hacked to death near his house at Kodambakkam. His wife and three others have been arrested. On June 7, financier and RTI activist J Parasmal was shot dead on a busy stretch of road in Periamet.
Seven persons have been arrested. On June 16, lawyer Akhilanath was attacked by six men and murdered near his house in Puzhal. Ten persons have been booked. On June 20, sweet vendor Chinnaraj murdered his wife and her three daughters at home. On June 22, lawyer T Ravi was murdered near his house in Vyasarpadi by eight men, who have since been arrested. On June 24, IT professional S Swathi was murdered at the busy Nungambakkam railway station by her stalker. This murder, because of its audaciousness and the involvement of several bystanders, made national headlines.
But even before the commentariat could finish discussing why the public didn't come to the victim's aid or why the police took two whole hours to arrive at the crime scene and remove the body, there was another murder as a man with reported criminal antecedents, Velu, was hacked to death, in Nandanam. Given that there is little that connects these crimes in terms of motives or execution, one may be tempted to write them off as a gruesome coincidence but that’ll be ill-advised. There has been one too many deaths in the city and the authorities cannot ignore that deteriorating law and order is the driving factor. One can also choose to downplay the problem by arguing that some of the cases may have been the handiwork of crazy persons, like Chinnaraj who stayed with the dead bodies of his victims for two days before being found by police, or driven by personal or domestic factors such as an illicit affair or a unrequited love that are beyond the control of law enforcement officials. But that wouldn't change the reality of a disintegrating social order.
In the aftermath of the attacks, the authorities have taken some measures — they have rounded up hundreds of suspects, stepped up patrolling and shuffled officers in troublespots — but their efficacy seems limited. For example, the large-scale detentions seem like a knee-jerk reaction that will unravel soon enough. Across the spectrum, the public in Chennai and elsewhere, shocked in particular by Swathi's murder, are demanding better security for women while the Madras High Court has called for greater gender sensitisation. These are fine and important in their own right but they mustn't take the attention away from the immediate problem at hand: Poor law enforcement. Remember even women's security can only improve as part of the overall security of all citizens.
