Rowdy ‘Sullan’ Madan murder: Four more arrested by Sivaganga police

The Sivaganga Town police arrested four more people on Wednesday, October 21, in connection with the murder of history-sheeter Madan alias Sullan Madan, taking the total number of arrests to seven.The four arrested have been identified as Santhosh (19), Jaya Manikkaraj (20) and Muthu Surya (20), all from Sivaganga, and Vignesh (23) from Madurai. Earlier, Pradeep (26) from Tirumangalam, Balamurugan (19) from Manamadurai and Babu (23) from Vilakkulam were arrested.The accused have been booked under Sections 191(2) (rioting), 191(3) (rioting involving a deadly weapon) and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Six special teams have been formed to trace the remaining suspects, police said.Madan, a history-sheeter, was killed on October 18 near Okkur in Sivaganga district, where he had gone to attend manjuvirattu, a bull-chasing event. An armed gang attacked him with sickles and other weapons, inflicting fatal injuries.The murder has sparked tensions over possible retaliatory attacks. Police are closely monitoring social media, where posts celebrating the killing and threatening retaliation have appeared.One Instagram post reportedly declared, “Kolaigal thodarum, thalaigal urulum” (Murders will continue, heads will roll). Another warned, “Viraivil anaithu thalaigal sitharum” (Soon, all heads will be smashed).The circulation of threats on social media has become a recurring pattern involving groups of young men in rural Sivaganga since 2021, following the murder of advocate Agniraj.Agniraj was an accused in the 2019 murder of a man named Munees. Following Agniraj's murder, his supporters, including Madan, reportedly created an Instagram page called ‘Agni Brothers’, where death threats were issued against those involved in the murder. Four suspects were eventually traced and killed.Madan had 14 criminal cases pending against him, including murder and attempt-to-murder cases, and was released on bail on October 7.However, Madan was reportedly not connected to the revenge killings linked to Agniraj's murder. Social media threats had also been issued against him in connection with the murder of two brothers Jayasurya (24) and Subash (23) from Madurai district, for which he was arrested in 2024.The dispute between Madan and the brothers began at a manjuvirattu event, where Madan and his associates allegedly caught the brothers' bull, triggering an argument that escalated into a fight between the two groups.On June 30, 2024, Jayasurya and Subash were allegedly hacked to death while they were asleep at Kallanai near Kollangudi. On July 4 that year, Madan and three associates surrendered before a magistrate in connection with the case.Police suspect that Madan's murder was a retaliatory attack linked to the 2024 double murder. In a statement issued on October 21, the police warned that those publishing material intended to create social tension or disturb law and order would face cases under the relevant legal provisions, arrest and stringent legal action.