Key Points:
A young migrant worker Suraj from Odisha was brutally assaulted by four intoxicated Tamil Nadu minors on December 28, 2025. The attackers recorded the horrific assault and uploaded it on Instagram.
The attackers used sickles and knives, causing severe injuries to Suraj’s head, hands and cheeks, before fleeing the scene. Police tracked them through the viral reel, arrested them, and booked them under multiple sections of the BNS.
The incident triggered political backlash, with the ruling DMK promising strict action, while Opposition leaders accused the MK Stalin government of allowing violence and hate crimes against migrant workers to grow unchecked.
A shocking violent incident has surfaced from Tamil Nadu which has enraged the public. A young migrant worker named Suraj, from Odisha was assaulted brutally and mercilessly by four Tamil Nadu minors, on December 28, 2025. The boys, reportedly 17 years of age, recorded the horrific incident, and uploaded it as an Instagram reel.
Suraj was travelling in a local train, when the boys approached him and started a conversation in Hindi. What followed as a simple conversation, turned into a fierce argument, leading to an unimaginable brutal assault on Suraj. Suraj is currently under treatment at a government hospital in Tamil Nadu, and the four attackers were later tracked and apprehended by the Police.
Tamil Nadu Police have reported that Suraj arrived in Tamil Nadu following a family dispute, and had been travelling at multiple locations looking for odd jobs. On December 28, 2025, he was heading to Tiruttani in a general compartment of the Chennai-Tiruttani EMU local train. The four boys, drunk and intoxicated, entered the same compartment at Thiruvalangadu railway station.
The minors allegedly carried sickles in concealed bags they carried. One of the attackers started a normal conversation in Hindi, which escalated into an argument that continued till the end of the journey. Initially, the boys forced Suraj to make a reel, of holding a sickle at his neck, which he refused. The Tiruttani Town Police reported that the boys forcefully took Suraj near an abandoned old railway quarters after getting off the train at Tiruttani.
The unprecedented violent attack occurred there, where three of the attackers attacked Suraj with sickles and knives, hitting him hard causing major injuries. The injuries led to profuse bleeding, and the attackers didn’t stop there. While the three attackers attacked Suraj, one of them recorded the incident. One of the attackers also held a victory sign, and the other who was recording the incident, displayed a thumbs up sign, as can be seen in the video.
The Police also reported that Suraj received brutal hits to his head, hands and cheeks. The attackers fled the scene after Suraj reportedly lost consciousness. After some time, Suraj regained consciousness and somehow managed to get help near the main road. Initially, he was admitted to Tiruttani Government Hospital and later referred to the Tiruvallur Government Medical College Hospital. Currently, he is undergoing treatment and the Doctors have reported that his condition is stable.
The Police got hold of the attackers based on a tip off and tracking their location based on the Instagram reel. They were charged with sections 109 (attempt to murder), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 296 (obscene acts) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) under the BNS (Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita). Three of them got sent to a government observation home, while one was released to his parents on account of him being physically challenged.
MK Stalin led ruling DMK government vouched for strict action and investigation into the incident. The Opposition criticised the DMK government for such atrocities being committed in their regime. K Annamalai, Vice President of Tamil Nadu BJP condemned the incident. In a post on X, he criticised the DMK, stating that while the police have arrested the criminals, the larger rot remains untouched.
Annamali further said: “Easy access to narcotics, open glorification of violence, political propaganda against migrant workers and the casual carrying of deadly weapons like swords have become normalised under this regime. The DMK government must be held accountable for turning a once orderly state into a Jungle Raj.” In his post however, K. Annamalai said that the worker is from Maharashta.
Speaking to media about the incident, BJP spokesperson Narayana Thirupathy also criticised the DMK, stating that the DMK has been ruining the state, dividing people on region, religion, caste and race. The DMK has also fueled hate crimes by creating a North-South divide, he added.
(GP)
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