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On Irusappa Gramani Street at Triplicane in Chennai lived Shanmugasundara Gramani, a person who gained notoriety within the space after he allegedly threatened picketers exterior his toddy store with a gun throughout a protest in 1938. His presence alone was sufficient to instil worry amongst locals, as he was notorious for violence each in private and non-private and was a “identified delinquent” (KD). However, it was for the brutal homicide of a cook dinner at his residence that he was arrested and at last executed in 1940.
On May 7, 1939, The Hindu reported that an inquest was held on the General Hospital mortuary on the physique of a girl exhumed from the Barbers’ Bridge burial floor. The inquest started round 3 p.m. and continued till midnight. According to the report, the physique was recognized by some home employees employed on the residence of Shanmugasundara as that of Narasammal, a co-worker who had gone lacking in early April that 12 months.
Medical proof introduced in the course of the inquest revealed damaged shoulder blades, a cranium fracture, and a damaged neck bones. Shanmugasundara and his spouse Saradambal have been then taken into the custody of the City Crime Branch.
Ill-treatment of employees
Shanmugasundara’s family employed a number of home employees, who referred to him as each appa (father) and thambi (youthful brother). He was reportedly identified to forcibly tattoo his home employees, a follow rooted in caste-based domination. The working circumstances have been harsh; the employees usually left after brief stints as he was identified to beat them for even minor faults.
Narasammal was employed as a cook dinner at a wage of ₹10 per thirty days. She was round 40 years previous, and was assisted within the kitchen by one other cook dinner named Lakshmi. Narasammal had informed the latter that she was from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, and that her husband, who was mentally in poor health, lived along with his sister in Kilpauk.
Eight days after starting work, Narasammal tried to give up, citing her lack of ability to remain up late at night time and get up early within the morning. However, Shanmugasundara despatched his males to seek for her. Within just a few hours, considered one of them introduced her again. His spouse Saradambal reportedly slapped Narasammal and scolded her, saying, “Is this why you took ₹10 upfront, simply to run away on the eighth day?” She then took again a number of the cashfrom Narasammal. Following this incident, Narasammal remained in service.
The fateful night time
Shanmugasundara had a each day routine that included consuming overnight-soaked inexperienced gram paste and rice congee (kanji), adopted by a sizzling water tub. On the day following the Aruvathimoovar pageant in Mylapore, he discovered there was no rice kanji left in the home.
Angered by this, he summoned Lakshmi and struck her thrice with a cane, demanding to know why she had failed to organize the kanji. She remained silent out of worry.
He then known as for Narasammal, who couldn’t come instantly, as she was occupied with different duties. When she was introduced earlier than him, he beat her with the cane. During the assault, he tripped her, inflicting her to fall laborious onto the brick flooring. She started bleeding from the mouth.
He then ordered her to clean the blood from her face and garments. Narasammal complied, rinsing herself at a close-by faucet, after which went to the yard to alter her garments.
After ending his tub, Shanmugasundara instructed a employee named Durgan to convey him unsplit casuarina sticks.
Narasammal’s killing
According to witness Lakshmi, she later heard the sound of a extreme beating, “like that of a bullock being overwhelmed.” She additionally heard cries of “ayyo”. These cries have been coming from the yard.
Shanmugasundara later instructed Durgan to fetch a rope, one finish of which he tied to Narasammal’s hair and used it to torture her.
He then ordered the home employees to tug her close to a window, at the same time as blood was seen oozing from her head. The following day, at round 10.30 a.m., Narasammal started pleading for water. However, nothing was given to her. When Lakshmi tried to assist her, Saradambal informed her to thoughts her personal enterprise, claiming that Narasammal was faking her situation.
Around 3 p.m. that day, one of many servants discovered Narasammal lifeless, her physique lined with a gunny bag. Later that night time, round midnight, the physique was moved to the yard, the place it remained for 4 days. The employees tried to cover traces of the incident by sprinkling ashes over the bloodstains on the spot the place she had fallen. However, by the following day, a foul scent started to emanate from close to the latrine within the yard.
The homicide got here to gentle two weeks later, when one of many employees visited the house of Shanmugasundara’s father-in-law in Chintadripet. A customer there observed an damage on the employee’s physique and requested about it. It was then that the reality about what had occurred in Shanmugasundara’s home started to emerge.
The investigation and arrest
Police arrested Shanmugasundara, his spouse Saradambal, and Thangavelu, a peon on the Mylapore burial floor. The case was initially heard on the George Town Police Court, which later dedicated it to the Criminal Sessions of the Madras High Court.
Shanmugasundara was charged with the homicide of Narasammal on April 2, 1939. His spouse Saradambal was charged with aiding within the disposal of the physique by having it packed and eliminated to the burial floor. Thangavelu was charged with helping within the unlawful removing and burial of the physique, with the assistance of cemetery employees.
According to witness testimony, a corpse wrapped in a gunny bag and despatched by Thangavelu, allegedly described because the physique of an individual affected by leprosy, was buried at night time.
Defence’s argument
The trial started on January 2, 1940, and concluded on February 7. Justice Mockett presided over the proceedings. Nugent Grant, counsel for Shanmugasundara, argued that the girl Narasammal by no means existed.
During the trial, it emerged that the prime witness Lakshmi had initially informed the police, previous to Shanmugasundara’s arrest, that nobody named Narasammal had labored in the home and that no homicide had occurred. However, after the arrest of the accused, Lakshmi gave a second assertion to the police by which she contradicted her earlier account and confirmed the presence and demise of Narasammal within the family.
While answering questions from the counsel, Lakshmi deposed that when the police first questioned her about Narasammal’s homicide, she denied her existence as she was afraid of being overwhelmed by Shanmugasundara.
At the tip of the trial, Shanmugasundara was discovered responsible of murdering Narasammal, and was sentenced to demise. The second accused Saradambal was sentenced to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment for inflicting the disappearance of proof associated to the homicide. The third accused Thangavelu acquired three years of rigorous imprisonment for a similar offence.
Following the decision, Shanmugasundara submitted a clemency petition to the then Governor. Among the grounds he cited have been that public opinion had been prejudiced in opposition to him because of the circulation of a number of pamphlets portraying him as an inhuman and merciless particular person. He additionally claimed that a big household was financially depending on him and appealed for the demise sentence to be commuted.
However, his petition was rejected, and he was hanged in July 1940.
