Police restrict first anniversary of wall collapse to a low key affair

17 persons died in the incident on December 2 last year

Grieving the loss: At the new wall that has come up at Nadur, floral homage was paid on Wednesday to those who died when the old wall collapsed in December last year.

METTUPALAYAM The first anniversary of the wall collapse that killed 17 residents of A.D. Colony at Nadur near Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district remained a low key affair on Wednesday as the police imposed various restrictions on the observance.

Residents of the colony and the relatives of those who died in the wall collapse in the early hours of December 2 last year told media persons that they were warned by the police against placing flex boards with photographs of the deceased and gathering at the spot of the tragedy.

Around 550 police personnel prevented the entry of outsiders into the colony, claiming that they had intelligence inputs that various organisations were attempting to make use of the anniversary as a platform for ideological and political gains.

A few families who had lost their kin in the wall collapse said they were asked by the police to pay respects to the departed by placing flowers on the rubble of the collapsed wall individually in the early hours of the day.

The collapsed wall was situated on the land belonging to S. Sivasubramaniam, owner of a textile showroom at Mettupalayam. A new wall has come up in its place, which, according to the police, was built with all requisite permission.

Ara. Arularasu, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore District (Rural) Police, said the police had arrested Subramaniam under the right provisions of the law in connection with the tragedy.

“Now the matter is under the purview of the court. Also, the police have nothing to do with the new wall constructed in place of the fallen wall. We understand that the land owner could have obtained all the required permission before its construction,” said Mr. Arularasu, adding that the police deployment was to avoid law and order issues at the place on the anniversary day.

According to the police, the new or old wall could not be called as a 'wall of discrimination', as claimed by many organisations and a few political parties, because the old or the new structure did not block a public pathway or restrict movement of people belonging to SC/ST community.