Leaving For School, 18-Year-Old Stabbed To Death By Neighbour In Tamil Nadu

A Class 12 student has been stabbed to death outside her house in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district by her neighbour, allegedly because she had been avoiding him and refused to speak to him. 

Police said the 18-year-old was leaving for school on Tuesday when her neighbour, Muniraj, 21, confronted her. He asked the teenager why she was avoiding him and not speaking to him. When he did not get the answer he was hoping for, the man stabbed the student repeatedly, said officials.

The teenager was rushed to the Ramanathapuram Government Hospital but died on the way. 
Her family and relatives then staged a protest at the hospital and demanded strict action. 

Police said a case has been registered and Muniraj has been arrested. 

Opposition parties said the murder was proof of deteriorating law and order in Tamil Nadu under the ruling DMK. 

"How did a man get the audacity to kill a student in broad daylight? The primary reason for such crimes is the DMK government's failure to ensure law and order and women's safety. Is it not shameful that women in the State are feeling insecure?" asked AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Actor-politician Vijay's TVK also criticised the DMK and blamed the rise in drug and liquor abuse for such crimes.

"Women are now feeling unsafe in public places. The state government has failed to control law and order, or the increase in drug and liquor abuse, and even weapon culture," said TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna.