A three-time MLA and Minister for Tourism and Culture in the Jayalalithaa cabinet, Venkatachalam died on the spot after he was attacked by masked men who gained entry into his house, sources in Pudukottai said.

The assailants struck his left arm with weapons and a severely bleeding Venkatachalam collapsed in his home itself, sources said. The former minister was taken to a nearby hospital, but to no avail. Tension gripped the Pudukottai town as the news of his death spread like a wildfire.