New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday criticised the Tamil Nadu government’s response to the brutal attack on an Odisha migrant worker in Tiruttani, noting the delayed FIR and the victim’s unexplained disappearance from the hospital without follow-up searches.
The NHRC has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of the state after the youth, with serious injuries, disappeared from the hospital, and the Stalin government had no information about him.
In a disturbing incident that triggered widespread outrage, four 17-year-old drug-addicted boys brutally attacked an Odia man with a sickle near the Tiruttani railway station in Tiruvallur district in December last year. The victim was later identified as K. Suraj (20), from Odisha.
NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo called the incident “the pinnacle of governmental ineptitude”.
Taking to X, Kanoongo stated, “The M.K. Stalin government of the state has responded to our notice regarding the migrant worker Suraj, who was slashed with a sharp weapon in Tamil Nadu, stating that the victim left the hospital in an injured condition and has since disappeared, and the government now has no information about him.”
He mentioned that the attack occurred on December 27, 2025, and statements from the injured were recorded on the same day; however, the FIR was filed only on December 28, “under pressure from social media”.
Kanoongo further stated that the immediate disappearance of the injured thereafter “raises serious questions about the government’s functioning” as the administration, according to the NHRC member, did not even attempt to search for the injured or trace his family.
“Therefore, we have issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of the state with the following directives: Search for the injured and ensure his treatment is provided; explain why compensation of 2 lakh rupees should not be given to the victim? Provide details and clarification on the action taken against the negligence of the police and administration,” he added.
(IANS)
