ChennaiTown.com

In a shocking incident, a 22yearold woman, along with her 13 relatives, has been ostracised from a village near Vandavasi after her lover's suicide sparked violence.

While elders in the family are jobless, their five children, studying in the village school, have not been attending classes since May.

Villagers of Salukkai allegedly ostracised the family members of Vijayaselvi (22), daughter of Muthu, blaming them for the death of Murali (24).

The youth committed suicide in May by jumping in front of an MRTS train in Mylapore. Shocked by his death, Vijayaselvi, pregnant with Murali's baby, had consumed poison.

She was later admitted to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital, where she was saved, but she had delivered a stillborn.

After Vijayaselvi recovered, her family members did not immediately return to Salukkai, fearing the wrath of residents and stayed at nearby Erumbur village instead.

Tragedy struck the Sri Ahobila Muth at Selaiyur when a 64-year-old woman was killed by an intruder, who was allegedly lynched to death by devotees and employees subsequently, even as hectic preparations were on for a ‘Chathrumasya Sankalpam’ in the early hours of Sunday.

The woman, Kanagavalli of Chinna Kancheepuram, was in the backyard when a man smeared with oil all over his body  (apparently to wriggle free easily if caught) and wearing only a brief jumped over the compound wall into the premises.

As she raised alarm, the intruder strangled the woman and threw her into a well. But she held on to a rope and continued screaming. The man then silenced her by entering the well, standing on her shoulders and pushing her into the water, police said. By then a crowd of about 50 people gathered. They, allegedly pulled the man out, tied him with a rope and thrashed him. He was then taken to a private hospital where he was declared ‘brought dead’.

Inaugurating the new administrative building of the Queen Mary's College on Thursday, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran took a stroll down memory-lane about the 'struggle' for saving the college in 2003.

The Chief Minister recalled how he had sent his son Stalin and a few other MLAs to the college where the students were on an agitation against the previous government's decision to demolish the buildings for establishing the new secretariat. The students and others attached to the college had vehemently told Stalin and others that they would not allow the demolition of their college because it was a century-old educational institution, Karunanidhi recalled during the function.

Stating that he was not speaking politics, the DMK chief said those who are in power had the responsibility to prevent such agitations by taking right decisions. It would be unbecoming of a government to suppress the feelings of the people, he added. And everyone who spoke at the function recalled only that and did not speak politics, he reiterated.

Three men were electrocuted after their car hit an electric post at Thiruvidanthai near Kovalam on Tuesday morning.

Four men, Sarfarosh (27) of Kilpauk, his business partner Janagaraj (26) along with their employees Karthik (25) of Mint and Vinod (25) of Ambattur were returning to Chennai from Parangi Pettai in Cuddalore district after attending the wedding of Sarfarosh's relative Mustafa.

Sarfarosh, who was behind the wheel, lost control of the vehicle and rammed it into an electric post. Upon impact his door fell apart and Sarfarosh was thrown out. The post and electric cables snapped and fell on the car, fatally electrocuting the rest.