A murder, a string of threatening Instagram stories and warnings of more bloodshed have put the Sivaganga district in South Tamil Nadu on edge. The killing of Sullan Madhan, a 26-year-old history-sheeter from Pudupatti, has exposed how social media is becoming an extension of criminal rivalries, with violence celebrated online and revenge announced before an audience.

A murder, a string of threatening Instagram stories and warnings of more bloodshed have put the Sivaganga district in South Tamil Nadu on edge. The killing of Sullan Madhan, a 26-year-old history-sheeter from Pudupatti, has exposed how social media is becoming an extension of criminal rivalries, with violence celebrated online and revenge announced before an audience.

A murder, a string of threatening Instagram stories and warnings of more bloodshed have put the Sivaganga district in South Tamil Nadu on edge. The killing of Sullan Madhan, a 26-year-old history-sheeter from Pudupatti, has exposed how social media is becoming an extension of criminal rivalries, with violence celebrated online and revenge announced before an audience.

A murder, a string of threatening Instagram stories and warnings of more bloodshed have put the Sivaganga district in South Tamil Nadu on edge. The killing of Sullan Madhan, a 26-year-old history-sheeter from Pudupatti, has exposed how social media is becoming an extension of criminal rivalries, with violence celebrated online and revenge announced before an audience.

What has alarmed the police is not merely the killing itself, but the digital battle that followed it. Rival groups have reportedly used Instagram and Facebook to glorify the murder, issue threats and warn of retaliatory attacks. In a region already shaken by violent feuds, these posts have added to public anxiety.

“Kolaigal thodarum, thalaigal urulum” (Murders will continue, heads will roll), declared a post on Instagram. Another warned, “Viraivil anaithu thalaigal sitharum” (Soon, all heads will be shattered). The Instagram posts and the short videos have turned into a huge sensation in the Sivaganga region.

The murder and its background

On October 18, Madhan who went to attend a bull-taming event called the Vadamadu Manjuvirattu at Melamangalam, near Okkur in Sivaganga district was allegedly surrounded by a gang. He attempted to escape but was chased into a sugarcane field and allegedly hacked to death by the gang. Madhan had recently come out on bail from the prison. He is the prime accused in a 2024 double-murder case involving brothers Jayasurya and Subash of Madurai district. The killings reportedly followed a dispute over a bull at a Manjuvirattu event.

Police suspect that the October 18 murder was an act of revenge connected to the earlier killings. Subsequently, the Sivaganga police have arrested three suspects linked to Madhan’s killing on October 21. The others involved in the case are on the run and the police are looking for those involved in the murder of Madhan. While the exact roles of those involved in the case are still under investigation, the entire district has plunged into a grip of fear.

The role of Instagram and social media in the feud

A video attributed to one of the supporters of Madhan said, “Inime thaan sambavam start” (The action starts only now). At least a dozen social media pages and Instagram handles are flowing with content about Madhan and his team roaming around with sickles on their motorbikes, with their shirt buttons taken off. Most pages are dedicated to Madhan. And one of those pages had also posted the pictures of three suspects in his murder with a warning, saying that more heads will roll. These posts and short videos apparently have become a part of the modus operandi of a group of rural youth in the Sivaganga region since 2021. This became a practice among the youth after Agniraj, an advocate in the district was killed brutally. Agniraj was also killed in a gang rivalry and he was an accused in the murder of a person named Munees in 2019. After Agniraj’s murder, his friends started an Instagram page called “Agni Brothers.” Posting death threats became common in this page.

Since then, their rivalry moved from beyond physical confrontations into a contest for online dominance. Instagram accounts associated with the opposing sides have continuously circulated messages celebrating the gangs as rowdies, history-sheeter and local dons like in cinema. And now after Sullan Madhan was hacked to death, there have been several reels and posts being circulated, threatening further violence.

Phrases warning that more heads would roll and that revenge would continue have added to the tension. The posts have turned an already volatile feud into a public spectacle, allowing threats to reach supporters, rivals and ordinary residents almost instantly. According to police sources, the 2024 double murder and the Instagram posts were used in planning the attack. Whether and how specific online posts contributed to the latest murder remains to be established.

Though Madhan was accused in 13 cases, including murder, he was not in anyway linked to the Agniraj murder case. But his videos and Instagram posts before and after Agniraj murder links him to the case. In fact, Madhan was arrested after being accused in a double murder case in 2024, which came up out of quarrel during a Jallikattu event. Posts threatening to kill Madhan have come up frequently in social media pages, after the 2024 double murder case.

According to highly placed sources in the Sivaganga district police, the double murder in 2024 involved brothers Jayasurya and Subash. “This was planned on Instagram using a woman’s phone,” say the police sources.

“The followers of the social media account share information about the targets and then the murder is carried out,” the officer explained. In fact, Madhan surrendered in the court for the double murder after sneaking into the premises as an advocate. He was lodged in the prison for the past two years and only on October 7, he came out on bail. “Madhan was chased into a sugarcane field near Okkur on October 18 and at least 11 assailants attacked him with weapons after a long chase,” police sources said.

Sivaganga in the grip of fear

The entire district of Sivaganga, the villages in and around Pudupatti and neighbouring areas have plunged into a grip of fear, as the locals suspect that Madhan’s gang could retaliate. When one group celebrates a killing and another responds with threats, every new post can be interpreted as a warning of the next attack. Friends, relatives and associates of those involved may fear becoming targets, while residents worry that an individual feud could spill into public spaces.

The online spectacle also risks drawing younger audiences into the glorification of gangster identities. Images, dramatic music, aggressive captions and tributes can make criminal notoriety appear glamorous, obscuring the consequences for victims, families and communities.

Social media does not create every feud, and an inflammatory reel does not automatically lead to a murder. But public challenges can intensify existing rivalries, encourage retaliatory posturing and make backing down appear to be a loss of face.

One of the rival groups of Madhan has now put up a post saying, “Part one over, part two next.” This post apparently refers to Madhan’s friend who is a co-accused in the double murder which happened during the 2024 Jallikattu event. The group had also posted pictures of the body of Madhan as a “trophy” with the caption “Game over”.

Police have arrested Pradeep, Balamurugan and Babu within 12 hours and formed six teams to trace the others. The investigators are also cracking down on social media accounts. As of now, police have suspended 20 Instagram accounts and one Facebook account on Tuesday which posted death threats after Madhan’s murder.

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