On 27th December last year, a 20-year-old migrant worker from Odisha, identified as K Suraj, was brutally thrashed by a mob and subsequently hacked with sickles. The disturbing incident occurred in Tiruttani town of Tamil Nadu. A video of the incident later went viral on social media.
The attackers were reportedly in an inebriated state and wanted to record Instagram reels. Following an argument with Suraj, they took him to an abandoned railway quarter and struck him repeatedly with sickles. The attackers were seen boasting about their crime and posing with victory symbols in the viral video. Suraj was seen bleeding profusely and was later hospitalised.
Following social media upheaval, the DMK government went into a damage control mode. The cops were quick to rule out any ‘racial bias’, claiming that there was no proof that Suraj was hacked over his ‘North Indian identity.’ 4 teenagers were arrested, and three of them were sent to ‘a place of safety.’ One of the accused was sent with his parents.
•𝟐𝟎-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐎𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐝𝐮’𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐫
This is not an isolated incident. The hacking of a 20-year-old Odisha migrant worker in Tiruvallur exposes a political culture… pic.twitter.com/SVrpDHFoDM— BJP (@BJP4India) December 31, 2025
Amid the controversy, concerns were raised on social media about the actual whereabouts of the migrant worker from Odisha. This made several netizens wonder whether he was missing or even alive.
The viral, bloodied image of Suraj and the manner in which he was attacked had drawn public sympathy from the public. Popular advocacy group ‘Legal Rights Observatory- LRO’ highlighted the issue on Wednesday (31st December).
“Odisha youth #SURAJ who was attacked by drugged goons mysteriously vanished! No one knows whether Suraj died n was dumped anonymously or is in solitary confinement to save FAKE Dravidian pride. NHRC must intervene!” the group posted on X.
Similar concerns were raised by activists and groups on multiple social media platforms. In the meantime, the DMK ecosystem got activated to dismiss valid enquiries about the well-being of Suraj as ‘fake news.’
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai tweeted, “Stop spreading fake news’ in response to concerns about whereabouts of the migrant worker from Odisha.
Stop spreading Fake News https://t.co/JMWOtsBNKd
— Saravanan Annadurai (@saravofcl) December 31, 2025
In the meantime, it is being claimed that Suraj, who was bruised and unable to move until 2 days ago, left the hospital ‘voluntarily’ and went back to Odisha. Serious uestions posed to the Tamil Nadu government and police are being shot down by the DMK ecosystem.
It is for the doctors to determine whether he was fit to be discharged. Questions may be raised about permitting him to leave, but it cannot be alleged that he went "missing". That implies an entirely different meaning. https://t.co/QqmzsvqmVg
— Anagha Kesav (@anaghakesav) January 1, 2026
Inspector General of Police (North zone) Asra Garg had also claimed that Suraj was discharged from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital after he expressed his desire ‘to go back to Odisha’. It is not known whether the victim has reached his home State.
DMK and anti-North India rhetoric
While all-out attempts are being made to downplay the incident as an isolated case by overemphasising on ‘quick’ police action, it must be remembered that the ruling DMK government has been making racially supremacist comments about North Indians and other communities of India.
In March 2025, DMK Minister Durai Murugan showcased his intolerance by labelling North Indian culture as ‘filthy’ and ‘disgusting.’ A few years earlier, party MP Dayanidhi Maran claimed that Hindi speakers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar come to Tamil Nadu to clean roads and toilets. Another DMK leader, TM Anbarasan, claimed that learning Hindi leads only to cattle-rearing work.
The constant dehumanisation of North Indians by the DMK ecosystem cannot be overlooked in the context of the brtual attack on K Suraj.
