A 12-year-old Dalit boy was killed and his sister and mother were injured in an attack on their family by unidentified persons at a nearby village, the police said.

Amid allegations that the girl and woman were sexually assaulted in the February 22 pre-dawn attack at Vellamputhur, which came to light on Monday, the police said medical tests were being conducted.

The girl and the woman were admitted to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in nearby Puducherry, the police said, adding that a probe was on to ascertain the motive behind the attack.

Political parties demanded stern action against the culprits, while alleging that the girl and her mother were raped.

"A boy, aged about 12 years, was killed. His 15-year-old sister and mother sustained head injuries," a senior district police official told PTI.

On the motive behind the attack and allegations levelled by political parties that the victims were targeted over a land dispute as they were Dalits, he said a probe was on.

"A case of murder has been registered as of now," the official said, declining to elaborate further.

PMK leader and Dharmapuri MP Anbumani Ramadoss demanded that the culprits be brought to book at the earliest and given the maximum punishment for the offence.

"The boy has been hacked to death," he said, adding that the girl and her mother were admitted to hospital in an unconscious state.

The PMK leader described the attack on the family as a "most brutal" one.

Claiming that rumours were being spread by anti-socials that the woman and her daughter had died, Anbumani said it had led to an unrest and sought action to tackle the situation.

SDPI Tamil Nadu president KKSM Tehlan Baqavi demanded steps with an iron hand to stop such attacks.

Condemning the attack, which he said occurred over a land dispute, Baqavi demanded that the culprits be arrested immediately and the family given a compensation of Rs 25 lakh.

In a statement, he alleged that the "woman and her daughter were sexually assaulted by anti-socials and seriously attacked", while the boy's "throat was slit".

(PTI)

For in-depth, objective and more importantly balanced journalism, Click here to subscribe to Outlook Magazine