Written by Arun JanardhananChennai | December 29, 2025 07:51 PM IST 3 min readPolice said the accused were identified and detained within hours of the incident. All four were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board in Tiruvallur.Four teenagers were taken into custody on Friday after a migrant worker from Odisha was brutally assaulted near a suburban railway station outside Chennai – an attack that was filmed by the assailants and circulated on social media, triggering widespread outrage and political condemnation.The assault took place on the evening of December 27 near Tiruttani railway station in Tiruvallur district. According to the police, the victim, Suraj (24), was attacked with machetes by a group of four boys aged 17. The attackers filmed the assault on their mobile phones and later uploaded the footage as an Instagram reel, with one of them seen posing next to the injured man and flashing a victory sign.The victim, a migrant worker from Odisha, sustained injuries to his head, face and left arm and was rushed to the Government Hospital in Tiruvallur, where he is undergoing treatment.Police said the accused were identified and detained within hours of the incident. All four were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board in Tiruvallur. Three of them were remanded to the Chengalpattu Juvenile Reformation School, while the fourth, a student, was released on bail after the court took note of his educational status.A senior police officer said the group allegedly attacked the victim without provocation and recorded the assault for social media circulation. “All accused were under the influence of ganja (weed). There is no personal enmity reported,” an officer said.The incident triggered sharp political reactions across Tamil Nadu. Karti Chidambaram, the Congress MP from Sivaganga, called for an immediate statewide crackdown.“I reiterate my earlier demand. Time has come for the Tamil Nadu police to prove its mettle. A statewide ‘show of force’ operation is needed immediately. Massive checking of all vehicles and identity verification must be carried out. History-sheeters must be made to report to police stations regularly,” he said in a post on X.Story continues below this adThe opposition linked the episode to what it described as a deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state. AIADMK leader Kovai Sathyan accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of failing to rein in drug use and violent crime.“This is the result of narcotics spreading among the youth. Tamil Nadu is turning into a hub of drugs and violence. These offenders should not be treated as juveniles,” he said.The ruling DMK rejected the criticism. Party spokesperson TKS Elangovan described the attack as an isolated criminal act and said swift police action demonstrated the system’s responsiveness.Police officials said further investigation is underway, including a review of the social media accounts used to circulate the video. The case has renewed concerns about juvenile crime, online glorification of violence, and the safety of migrant workers in Tamil Nadu’s industrial corridors.Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority. Expertise Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews. Key Coverage Areas: State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor. Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties. Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu. Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail. His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd