Incident Summary:

04/20/2015: Assailants attacked Santhana Gopal as he was exiting Sathyanarayanan Temple on Srinivasan Street in West Mambalam neighborhood, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Gopal, a priest, was injured in the assault. This was one of three attacks carried out by the same group of assailants on this day. No group claimed responsibility for the incidents; however, authorities arrested six members Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) in connection with the attacks.

GTD ID:
201504200081

When:
2015-04-20

Country:
India

Region:
South Asia

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Tamil Nadu

City:
Chennai

Location Details:
The incident occurred in Srinivasan street in the West Mambalam neighborhood.

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Unarmed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Religious Figures/Institutions
Name of Entity Unknown
Specific Description Priest: Santhana Gopal
Nationality of Target India
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Melee Hands, Feet, Fists
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?Yes
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 6
Number of Captured Perpetrators 6
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 1 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 1
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Assault on Priests Triggers Fury," New Indian Express, April 22, 2015.
"Six men held for attacks on priests in Chennai," The Hindu, April 22, 2015.