Head constable Muthuvelu of the Siruganur police station in Tiruchi district woke up to the knock at the door in the middle of the night on February 15, 1962. When he opened the door, there was a group of men dressed in khaki uniforms. But they were not police personnel. A man aged about 40, who claimed to be the leader of the ‘Viduthalai Padai’ (Liberation Army), assaulted Muthuvelu with a sword and fired at him using a country pistol. After dragging him to the lock-up, the gang started looting arms and ammunition.
At this juncture, a truck stopped in front of the police station and a middle-aged man jumped out. Unaware of the situation, he walked in as the truck moved away. On seeing the armed gangsters, he revealed his identity as sub-inspector Upendran and warned them to surrender.
A gangster opened two rounds of fire, injuring him in the stomach and the neck. Upendran was also forced into the lock-up, whose floor was covered with blood. The police station was in a less-populated location and no one had heard the gunshots or the cries of the victims.
