DMK MP surrenders before a court in murder case

DMK Lok Sabha MP from Cuddalore, T R V S Ramesh, on Monday surrendered before a court, two days after the CB-CID wing of the Tamil Nadu police registered a case against him and five others in connection with the murder of a worker in a cashew processing unit owned by him.

Ramesh, who was on the run since Saturday when the police named him in the FIR, surrendered before the Judicial Magistrate Court-I in Panruti in Cuddalore district. Ramesh has been booked for the murder of 60-year-old Govindarasu who was working at the cashew processing unit in Panikankuppam village in the district.

Along with Ramesh, five others were named as accused – while the MP surrendered today, all five were taken into custody on Saturday. As the CB-CID team could not find the MP at his residence on Saturday when they went to serve summons, the police was under pressure to arrest Ramesh.

Police said Govindarasu, a resident of Melmampattu village in the district, was found dead inside the cashew processing unit owned by the MP on September 20, hours after he was allegedly beaten up by five labourers of the unit.

The group of five, according to police, assaulted Govindarasu after accusing him of stealing 7 kg of cashew nuts from the unit. At the Kadampuliyur police station where Govindarasu was taken after the alleged assault, the police asked him to take to a hospital. However, Govindarasu was found dead inside the factory a few hours later.

Before his surrender, Ramesh issued a statement saying the case was being politicised by the Opposition parties for political gains. “I am confident that I will prove my innocence,” he said, adding he was surrendering before the court only to ensure that his party, DMK, does not get a bad name.

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