An advocate was brutally attacked by a man in front of the court complex in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday, triggering protests by the members of the Bar in the district demanding protection to colleagues at their workplace.
According to police, the assailant, later identified as Ananda Kumar, had inflicted grievous cut injuries with a matchet, allegedly due to previous enmity with the victim.
In a video that went viral, the advocate could be seen murderously attacked several times in broad daylight. Passers-by stop their vehicles shocked over the horrifying incident but none dare to intervene. The advocate falls down in a pool of blood and the case files that were in his hands slip and are scattered around.
A while later, his colleagues rush towards him and get him admitted to a hospital. His condition was critical, the police said.
The victim, Kannan, employed as a junior, had previous enmity with Ananda Kumar, also of Hosur. The latter surrendered before the judicial magistrate II, Hosur, said the police.
The incident sparked a political outrage in the state with various parties, flaying the state government for the incident.
BJP state chief K Annamalai said, "a teacher was murdered in the classroom today in Tanjore & here is an advocate being brutally attacked in broad daylight in Hosur. These reflect the disastrous law & order situation in TN under the DMK government."
Condemning the incident, Annamalai said in a post on the social media platform 'X': "Thiru @mkstalin should be ashamed of turning TN into a lawless jungle. If this Govt put little effort into fixing issues rather than diverting them, we would not see such lawlessness."
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami expressed "shock" over the attack on Kannan, and said the incidents of attacks on government doctor, teacher and now an advocate continued unabated.
"This clearly shows the true state of law and order situation in Tamil Nadu that @mkstalin claims to be under his direct control," Palaniswami said on 'X'.
