Lankan refugee’s death triggers protest in TN

The suicide of a 48-year-old inmate of the Sri Lankan refugee camp in Uchapatti near Tirumangalam here on Sunday afternoon triggered a protest by scores of refugees and others demanding action against a retired Revenue Inspector, Duraipandian, for alleged abetment of suicide, the Hindu newspaper reported.

The inmate, S. Ravindran was electrocuted after he touched a live wire of the high-tension electric tower he had climbed.

The protestors did not allow the officials to take Ravindran’s body to the Government hospital for post-mortem till late night. Collector Veera Raghava Rao and Superintendent of Police Vijendra Bidari held talks with them.

After the officials promised to register a case against Duraipandian, the protestors gave up there agitation, following which the body was taken to Tirumangalam GH for post-mortem after 10 p.m. Meanwhile Duraipandian was admitted to hospital after he was manhandled following the death of Ravindran.

The police said that the father of Ravindran, the deceased had objected to Duraipandian, who was employed on contract basis to look after the camp after his retirement, after he marked absent for Ravindran’s son Pradeepan on Sunday.

Roll call is done on the first and third Sundays of every month. Pradeepan was not found in the camp on third Sunday of February too, the police said. However, Ravindran had claimed that his son who was ill had been admitted to a hospital.

Duraipandian said that he could give his clarification to the Tahsildar. Meanwhile, Ravindran had climbed up a high-tension electric tower in the vicinity and was electrocuted when he touched the live wire. He fell down on the ground from some 50-feet height and died on the spot.

Tamil National Movement leader, P. Nedumaran, and People’s Watch executive director, Henri Tiphagne, were among those who led the protest. Usilampatti RDO M. Balasubramaniam, who rushed to the spot, held talks with the protestors. Mr. Tiphangne complained that it was the retired RI, who drove Ravindran to commit suicide.