Decode Politics: Who is Auditor Ramesh, the man over whom PM Modi shed tears in TN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday broke down while addressing a rally in Tamil Nadu, as he recalled V Ramesh, often referred to as ‘Auditor’ Ramesh, a BJP leader whose killing in 2013 hit headlines.

Modi paused his speech for about a minute as he referred to Ramesh. “Today I am in Salem, I remember Auditor Ramesh… Aaj Salem ka mera vo Ramesh nahin hai (Today, my Ramesh of Salem is not here). Ramesh worked day and night for the party. He was a dedicated leader of our party. He was a great orator and a very hardworking man. I pay homage to him,” he went on to say.

A significant figure in the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit and a known hardline proponent of Hindutva, Ramesh had twice served as the state general secretary of the party.

Then 54, Ramesh was murdered on the night of July 19, 2013, at his house in the Maravaneri area of Salem soon after he had returned after meeting party workers.

His assailants, who were lying in wait near his house, attacked him with sharp-edged weapons, causing fatal injuries to his head and neck.

Following a probe, Bilal Malik and ‘Police’ Fakruddin, who were believed to be involved in the 2011 Madurai pipe bomb case and other attacks on right-wing Hindu leaders, were arrested in October 2013.

Fakruddin was arrested by the Crime Branch branch CID while Malik and another suspect were taken into custody from Puttur in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh following an almost 12-hour gunfight.

The case was taken over by the Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Tamil Nadu Police.

There was massive outrage among BJP workers and Hindutva groups in the state, with protests held accusing the police of negligence. Protesters also alleged failure of state intelligence as Ramesh had received death threats and his car