Slain Hindu Munnani leader was warned of threat to his life, say police
Sasikumar was hacked to death on September 22 in Coimbatore following which incidents of violence were witnessed.
Chennai: Hindu Munnani leader C Sasikumar,who was hacked to death last month, was forewarned by police about the threat to his life and was advised to be careful, police said.
"As early as 2013, we had warned him about the threat to his life. We had asked him to take the threat perception seriously and act accordingly," a senior police official told PTI.
He said police had come to the conclusion only after looking into "several factors" over a "period of time" and such inputs needed to have been taken seriously.
Had Sasikumar been cautious, his murder may have been averted, he added.
On the probe to bring the culprits to book, he said, "The probe is continuing. We are looking into not any one aspect, motive or assumption. The investigation is proceeding on right lines and we are also aware of the sensitivities involved in the case."
The police official also said the slain Hindu Munnani leader should have been careful "while expressing his views on issues, whether the issue is a sensitive one or not," so as to ensure that "nobody is offended."
Some of his comments were "considered offensive" by a section of people, he added.
Asked for his outfit's comments, Hindu Munnani State Secretary, C Parameswaran wanted to why police withdrew the Personal Security Officer provided for Sasikumar's security when it was fully aware that he had a threat to his life.
He said police should do justice to Sasikumar and capture the culprits.
"When leaders of Hindu outfits are killed, police come up with strange motives like personal enmity even before concluding a proper investigation," he alleged.
He said if police had taken appropriate action, "many Hindu leaders" would not have been killed in Tamil Nadu in the last two decades.
'Auditor' V Ramesh, Diabetologist Dr V Arvind Reddy, K Murugan (all BJP), S Vellaiyappan, KP Suresh Kumar (both Hindu Munnani - an RSS affiliate) were some of the leaders of Hindu outfits killed in recent years in Tamil Nadu.
Sasikumar was hacked to death on September 22 in Coimbatore following which incidents of violence were witnessed.