Simmering gang rivalry shocks Coimbatore

For a city with a populace of more than two million, Coimbatore has been a peaceful place sans rowdyism and gang wars. But the city was shocked a few days back when two youth were indiscriminately hacked by members of a rival gang in broad daylight on a busy stretch close to the city police commissioner’s office.

It turned out that the brutal assault was not a solitary case but just an indication that simmering gang war between two groups had just spilled on to the streets of Coimbatore. The attack was a crude extension of years of old rivalry between youth of Kamarajapuram and More Market area near Ganapathy. The two gangs had been spreading fear in the locality and end up assaulting or murdering someone from the rival gang for the past few years. Police say there were two murders in the last four years and multiple attempts to murder besides violent assaults. The rivalry has strong caste undertones too. The gang members belong to two different communities, though both are scheduled castes.

Though police step in whenever a bloody assault happens and arrest the accused, public in the locality say the government machinery has done little to diffuse perpetual tensions and end the rivalry.

When TOI visited Kamarajapuram area, most of the residents were reluctant to speak about the clashes for fear of consequences. They were not aware of the origin of the rivalry between Kamarajapuram and More Market and said it started more than 15 years ago and continues till date.

“What we know is that when More Market gang assault our youth, the latter will retaliate. We have been witnessing this for at least a decade,’’ said VR Suganth, A BBA student.

Vasanth Ram from Kamarajapuram, studying engineering in Kerala told TOI that none of the residents, particularly youth, visit the other area. “Now the rivalry starts right from school students. Those from More market will not even speak to students from Kamarajapuram,’’ he said.

On April 1, 2019, R Santhoshkumar, 25, a loadman from Bhagat Singh Street at More Market was assaulted by a three- member gang (Pradeep, Rajesh and Prasanth) who hailed from Kamarajapuram by using knife and sickle. The three-member gang told Santhoshkumar that youths from More Market have lost fear of youths of Kamarajapuram. To take revenge for the attack against Santhoshkumar, youths from More Market decided to murder Pradeep and assaulted Pradeep and Tamilvanan on May 14.

Residents say the gangs are loosely organized without any one single leader. Neither do they indulge in other anti-social activities. Rather, the frequent clashes are about one-upmanship between youth of both localities.

Earlier, gangs were operating at Rathinapuri , Avarampalayam, Sowripalayam, Udayampalayam and Puliyakulam areas in the city. Most of the gangs are not active now after their gang members were convicted for life or 10 years of imprisonment for murder cases.

Police said except Kamarajapuram and More Market, gang rivalry was not in the city. However, youths from Rathinapuri, Avarampalayam, Sowripalayam and Udayampalayam and Puliyakulam often indulge in petty quarrels. “Those who tried to establish a gang in the city, were dealt with iron fist by police. There is no major rivalry gang in the city. The gang rivalry also will be curtailed in Kamarajapuram and More Market soon,” said a police officer.