Vanchinathan

Vanchinathan
Born
Shankaran

1886 (1886)
Died17 June 1911(1911-06-17) (aged 24–25)
Maniyachchi, Tirunelveli district, Madras Presidency, British India (presently in Tamil Nadu)
Cause of deathSuicide
Known forAssassination of Robert Ashe
MovementIndian independence movement
SpousePonnamma

Vanchinathan (1886 – 17 June 1911), popularly known as Vanchi, was an Indian independence activist. He assassinated Robert Ashe, then district collector of Tirunelveli district, on 17 June 1911 at the Maniyachchi railway station. Ashe was considered to have encouraged discrimination against Indians, suppressed independence activism, and ordered the use of violence to quell the same. Vanchinathan committed suicide immediately afterwards while trying to evade arrest. The assassination of Ashe was a significant event in the Indian independence movement in South India and marked a trend in the rise of revolutionary movements against British rule.