Attempt to murder case booked against teens for assaulting Odisha youth: Police official

Chennai, Dec 30 (PTI) The police have booked an attempt to murder case against four teenagers for allegedly attacking a youth near the Tiruttani railway quarters, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

IGP North Zone Asra Garg denied that the youth was targeted as he was a "north Indian", and said the victim, identified as K Ashok from Odisha, was on a visit to Chennai. Police had earlier said the victim hailed from Maharashtra.

"Preliminary investigation revealed that he frequently visited Tamil Nadu and that he is not a migrant worker," Garg said.

The four teenagers, aged about 17, were apprehended on December 28, and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. And based on the orders of the Board, three were sent to a juvenile home while the fourth was handed over to the custody of his parents.

"The police booked an attempt to murder case under section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the maximum punishment for the offence. Also, it was established that the four had made videos while carrying out the assault and posted them on social media," the Inspector General of Police told reporters here.

Earlier, the police claimed that the teenagers attacked a youth with a sickle and uploaded reels of the assault on social media under the influence of alcohol, on December 26, near the railway quarters close to the Tiruttani railway station.

Garg, however, denied that the four had launched the attack as the youth was a "north Indian".

"There is no evidence to say that," he said.

Asked if the teenagers unleashed the violence under the influence of alcohol or drugs, he replied, "it is a subject matter of investigation." "They admitted that they kept a long curved blade (pattakathi) with them due to previous enmity with some other boys," he said.

The police took efforts to ensure good medical treatment for the victim, who was referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here. The youth had informed the authorities and left for his home, Garg added.

Meanwhile, actor and TVK president Vijay condemned the brutal attack and said the incident has sent shock waves across the state.

Blaming the state government for not guiding the youth, Vijay said in a post on social media platform 'X', that "the law and order has deteriorated and the future of the youth is being destroyed by narcotics. There is no programme to guide youth on the right path." He urged the state government to take steps to curb drug trafficking. PTI JSP JSP SA