Himalayan News Service

Chennai, December 31:

Veteran politician and former MP Aladi Aruna, expelled from the DMK only nine months ago, was brutally hacked to death along with a friend in Tamil Nadu today. The murder took place on the outskirts of Tirunelveli city, about 800 km south of here, while Aladi Aruna, his schoolteacher friend Ponraj and another man identified only as Socrates were on an early morning walk.

Three men on motorbikes surrounded them and first shot them with pistols. Then they attacked Aladi Aruna, 71, with sickles and hacked him to death. Socrates managed to escape. Police are questioning Socrates to ascertain if he could identify any of the attackers.

Aladi Aruna had spoken out against the “family politics” of Karunanidhi in March 2004, leading to his dramatic expulsion from the DMK. Earlier, a member of the AIADMK, Aruna was a legislator of the state assembly during 1967-76.