Slain Tamil Nadu BSP chief K Armstrong laid to rest

Chennai: Slain BSP Tamil Nadu president K Armstrong was laid to rest on Monday in neighbouring Tiruvallur district, hours after the Madras High Court rejected the family's plea to bury the body at the party office here.

The burial was held at Pothur in Tiruvallur at the end of a nearly eight hour well-attended funeral procession from the city.

Following the court order, the body was taken in a procession with police protection. Political leaders including VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan were present during the burial.

Armstrong, state president of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was killed by a group of armed assailants near his residence on Friday.

BSP supremo and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, who paid homage to her murdered party colleague here on Sunday, demanded a CBI probe into the killing to ensure justice for the family.

The family of the deceased had knocked at the doors of the Madras HC with a plea to bury the mortal remains of Armstrong in the BSP office here, but the court rejected it and allowed the interment at a property of the departed leader's relative at nearby Tiruvallur.

Armstrong's wife had moved the HC with the said plea, which had come up before Justice V Bhavani Subbaroyan in a special sitting. The state government had opposed the family' plea, saying the party office was located in a residential area.

It later informed the court that the burial was allowed to be held at the land belonging to Armstrong's relative in Pothur and the necessary orders were also given for the process. With the petitioner accepting the proposal, the judge had directed that Armstrong's body be buried at Pothur.