Mayawati Calls BSP Tamil Nadu Chief Murder "Brutal", Appeals For Peace

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday termed the murder of K Armstrong, president of the party's Tamil Nadu unit, as "brutal", and said the government must act to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The 52-year-old BSP leader was hacked to death by a six-member bike-borne gang near his house in Perambur in Chennai on Friday. In a post in Hindi on X, Mayawati said that Armstrong was "a dedicated and hardworking BSP leader".

"The brutal murder of K Armstrong, a dedicated and hardworking BSP leader and president of the party's Tamil Nadu unit, outside his Chennai residence last evening, has caused widespread sorrow and outrage in the entire society. The government must take immediate and necessary action to prevent such incidents in the future," she said in the post. The BSP chief would be travelling to Chennai on Sunday.

"Considering the seriousness of this tragic incident, tomorrow morning I will be going to Chennai to pay homage to Armstrong and meet his grieving family to offer condolences. I appeal to all to maintain peace and order," she said in the post.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said he was shocked and anguished over Armstrong's murder.

"The police have arrested those involved in his murder in an overnight operation," MK Stalin said in a post on X. 

He said that he has ordered the police to conduct the investigation expeditiously and ensure that the culprits are punished according to law.

At least eight suspects have been secured in connection with the murder of the BSP state president, a senior police official said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)