Police officials presented crime statistics and said that though 1,267 cases were till Oct this year, the number of murders had declined during the same period over the past five years. Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay reviewed the state’s law and order situation with senior police officers on Tuesday following a series of murders reported across the state over the Diwali weekend.
Police sources said eight murders were reported on Nov were 8. The number of murders reported between Jan 1 and Oct 31 stood at 1,370 in 2022, while it was 1,347 in 2023, and 1,289 in 2024, according to police data. In 2025, it was 1,232. The figure for the corresponding period in 2026 was 1,267, against a five-year average of 1,309. They also cited NCRB figures showing four, 10 and six murders on Diwali in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively.
DGP Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, inspector-general (intelligence) Asra Garg, and other senior officers attended the meeting. They attributed the incidents to rowdy rivalries, domestic disputes and quarrels over bursting crackers.