Chennai: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has accused the Tamil Nadu government of not being serious about the investigation into the murder of state party chief K Armstrong, who was hacked to death near his residence on July 5. The BSP chief also demanded Chief Minister MK Stakin to hand over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Mayawati, along with her nephew and BSP National Coordinator Akash Anand, reached Chennai to pay last respects to K Armstrong. Addressing her party workers, Maywati questioned the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu.
"The way Armstrong has been murdered, it seems there is no law and order left in Tamil Nadu. The main culprits have not been arrested yet," she said.
Accusing the DMK-led state government of not being serious about the murder investigation, Mayawati said, "The state government is not serious about this murder investigation otherwise the culprits would have been behind bars. If the state government does not want to serve justice, this matter should be handed over to the CBI."
"We demand a CBI investigation. If the state government does not refer the case to the CBI, it means they are also involved in this murder," she added. Mayawati raised questions over the safety of Dalits after Armstrong's murder.
"It is not about one Dalit leader's murder. The whole of the Dalit community is under threat and many Dalit leaders are scared about their lives," she said.
Mayawati also cautioned the BSP cadre to not take the law into their hands. "To ensure action against the accused, the party cadre should come forward but at the same time, stay within the limits of law and show that the weaker section does not take law into their hands," she said.
K Armstrong, 52, was hacked to death by some unidentified people outside his home in Perambur area. The CCTV footage of the incident showed that four of the assailants were dressed as food delivery agents.
