A Communist leader in the Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, who fought for the cause of farmers, was hacked to death on Wednesday in a broad daylight by a mob and the incident had triggered protests across the region. The police department had deployed hundreds of personnel to the spot to counter any untoward events as tensions escalate in the region over the brutal murder of the political leader. 

According to reports, 50-year-old Nadesa Thamizharvan was a local functionary of the Indian Communist Party. A native of Olimathi village in Tiruvarur, he had served as the union secretary of the party in Needamangalam for the past ten years. Thamizharvan was survived by his wife and two sons and he was known for fighting for farmers and labourers in the region and he also was facing several political and criminal cases. 

He was a prominent leader of the Communist Party in the region and on Wednesday, a mob had hacked him to death in a broad daylight. Thamizharvan was standing near the town panchayat office at Needamangalam during which a gang had arrived there with sharp weapons and brutally attacked him. After the attack, the assailants had fled the spot and the quinquagenerian has died on the spot. After knowing that the leader was killed, a large number of party functionaries and cadres had gathered at Needamangalam bazaar and held protests against the attack by barricading the road. 

The protesters had demanded the police to arrest the assailants immediately. It has been reported that a group of eight people had involved in the crime. Several high-ranking police officials including Inspector-General of Central Zone V Balakrishnan had rushed to the spot and conducted an inquiry. Tiruvarur district Superintendent of Police C Vijayakumar had held talks with the protesters to allay their protest with the assurance that the responsible will be apprehended. 

However, the protesters didn't permit the police to recover the body for an autopsy and demanded an immediate arrest of all culprits. After several episodes of talks, the protesters allowed the police to recover the body and later took it to the Medical College Hospital in Thanjavur. The reports say that around 200 police officers have been deployed in the region as tensions escalated aftermath of the murder. The police department has said that the suspects have been identified with the a help of CCTV footage and five special teams have been installed to trace and nab the culprits. 

It has also been reported that one of the key suspects in the crime was previously with the Communist party and recently joined the rival party. The reports close to the developments have said that Thamizharvan had recently filed a complaint against a local rowdy for the latter's atrocities in the region. However, a police official close to the rowdy had informed him about the complaint. The police are probing the murder in several angles including this angle as well, whether this rowdy had plotted a murder and including whether Thamizharvan had earned enmity from his rivals.