Farmer shoots man dead for entering farm land in Erode, arrested

A man from Arunthathiyar community shot dead by farmer in Gobichettipalayam, sparking protests and police investigation.

A 56-year-old man from the Arunthathiyar community was shot dead by a farmer with a licensed gun after he was found on farmland in Gobichettipalayam in the early hours of Saturday.

P. Kannan, the victim, was a loadman from Sengottaiyan Colony in Periya Modachur. According to a complaint filed by his son K. Vijay, 26, and his brother were travelling to a hospital in Gobichettipalayam with Kannan, who had been in a distressed state for two days and was unable to sleep, late on Friday night. At around 11.30 p.m., the two-wheeler they were riding on ran out of petrol, and Vijay left his father and brother to refuel.

When he returned, Vijay found both of them missing. He called his brother over the phone, who told him that their father had wandered into nearby farmland and could not be located. While searching, they encountered J. Mohanlal, a farmer from Keeripallam Thottam, who accused Kannan of attempting to burgle his property. At approximately 12:15 a.m., Mohanlal allegedly shot Kannan in front of him, killing him on the spot.

Mohanlal left the scene, and the two brothers left for their village, where they informed relatives, who accompanied them to the farmland. This time, he found a sickle in his father’s hand.

They reported the incident to Gobicheetipalayam police station at 2.30 a.m. on Saturday. The body was sent to the Government Erode Medical College and Hospital in Perundurai for a post-mortem examination. Fingerprint experts and a sniffer dog were deployed as part of the investigation.

Police arrested Mohanlal and recovered the firearm used in the shooting. A case was registered under Section 103 (1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 3(2)(v a) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2016.

Mohanlal claimed he fired in self-defence, alleging that Kannan attempted to steal sandalwood and attacked him with a sickle. Police are investigating the claims.