Family members of the six women employees of a fireworks unit, who were killed in a road accident near Paraipatti, took the bodies after a daylong negotiations with police and revenue officials.
The family members along with cadre of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Puthiya Tamilagam, gathered at Government Hospital near Sivakasi railway station. Though the post-mortem was completed by 8 a.m., the relatives refused to take the bodies as the fireworks industry has the practice of paying huge compensation when their workers are killed in fire accident on factory premises.
Sivakasi Tahsildar Ayyakutty and Deputy Superintendent of Police A.C. Vellaiyan held talks with Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary K. Arjunan and others. “We wanted the licensee of the fireworks unit, where the deceased were employed or leasee Mathiazhagan, to pay the compensation. Otherwise, the fireworks unit that had dumped its chemical waste and burning it that led to the fatal accident should be made to pay the compensation,” CPI (M) Sivakasi union secretary N. Muthuraj said. However, the police claimed that only garbage and dry leaves were burnt and no chemical was burnt. “The said factory is located at a distance,” Inspector of Police, Sivakasi (East), Srinivasan, said.
The police identified the deceased as G. Kanaga (45), M. Vijayakumari (27), K. Irulammal (70, I. Parameswari (31) and P, Kaliammal (70). Leasee Mathiyazhagan’s wife Murugeswari (35) also died in the accident.
After prolonged talks, the family members agreed to take the bodies around 9 p.m.
