Dalit youth attempts suicide fearing arrest for Tasmac stir

Chennai: An anti-liquor activist is battling for life after attempting suicide as he feared arrest for involvement in a recent agitation against a tasmac liquor shop in his Padur village, about 20 km from Chennai on the OMR-IT highway. Interestingly, Kelambakkam inspector A. Govindaraj handling the April 14 agitation by almost the entire village of Dalits, maintained that K. Senthil (26) had hanged himself after his family refused to give him money for buying booze. "I enquired in Padur and with his parents. He tried to kill himself because he demanded money for buying liquor and the parents refused", he told DC.

But Senthil's family insisted that he took the extreme step as he was depressed and very scared of getting arrested after being falsely implicated in the police FIR. "He was not even present at the village agitation at the tasmac shop (on April 14). He had given up drinking more than a year ago.", said his nephew C. Vasanth. Senthil, a small-time painter, had fled after the protest incident and police action. In fact, many men in Padur had gone underground fearing arrest. At about six Friday evening, Senthil came home when no one was present and hanged himself. The family rushed him to the nearby Chettinad Hospital where the doctors said more than 10 minutes had elapsed before the family found Senthil hanging and his condition was critical. He was shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi GH early Saturday.

"Police continue to harass us for protesting against the tasmac relocating its shop close to our houses. They have included over 130 villagers, including women, minors and very old persons, in the FIR accusing them of rioting and damaging government property. Clearly, the police do not want us to raise our voice against the tasmac shop", said Chengai Anandan, one of the protesters.

When contacted, Kancheepuram district collector P. Ponniah said he would enquire into the Padur situation. "The Kancheepuram police are very decent and would not violate norms", he said, denying the human rights violation charge.