Representative image of stabbing.
Credit: iStock Photo
Chennai: A 25-year-old woman teacher working in a government school in Thanjavur district was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend on Wednesday morning outside the staff room, apparently upset over the girl’s family not accepting his marriage proposal.
The shocking incident in broad daylight, which the Opposition parties termed as a "classic case of the deteriorating law and order situation" in Tamil Nadu, took place in Mallipattinam when M Ramani, who was working as a temporary staff in the government higher secondary school, was inside the staff room.
Madan Kumar (30) barged into the staff room and picked up an argument with Ramani which soon turned into a brawl. “We realised the magnitude only when the teacher collapsed on the floor. She had been stabbed multiple times in her neck and stomach. Everything happened in a flash,” Manjula, Ramani’s colleague, said, adding that they carried the teacher in an ambulance to be taken to a hospital, but she died on the way.
Both Kumar and Ramani hailed from Chinnamanai village in the district with police ruling out caste angle as they belonged to the same community. The accused, who had plans to die by suicide after killing his ex-lover, was caught and handed over to police.
Police said the murder comes a day after Ramani’s family made it clear to Kumar and his parents that they weren’t in agreement to give their daughter in marriage to the 30-year-old man.
This is not the first time that the family had told Kumar, who was in a relationship with Ramani, about their decision. It is said that Ramani had broken up with Kumar after her parents didn’t approve of their relationship.
“Prima facie, it appears that the two were in a relationship for 12 years. Ramani decided to call off their relationship following her parents' disapproval,” a police officer said, adding that continuous efforts by Kumar’s family to convince Ramani’s parents were futile.
On November 19, Madan’s father Panneerselvam met Ramani’s father Muthu and tried to convince him but the latter was stubborn in his stand. .
While Opposition parties criticised the government for “no safety and security even for school teachers”, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi visited the school and offered support to students and teachers who witnessed the murder.
"Violence against teachers cannot be tolerated. Strict legal action will be taken against the attacker,” Poyyamozhi said.