The State government must direct Virudhunagar police to register a case of murder and not treat the death of six women near Sivakasi recently as a fatal road accident, said Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) president K. Krishnasamy.
Ten days ago, when 13 women were returning home in a van after work from a fireworks unit near Sivakasi, the vehicle toppled and fell into a dump where garbage was being burnt.
In the impact, the diesel tank of the vehicle caught fire and as the passengers could not escape, six of them were charred to death. The police registered a case of rash driving and negligence against the driver.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Dr. Krishnasamy said that he visited the kith and kin of the dead workers on Friday. The workers were the breadwinners of their families, and it seemed little children at their houses would have a bleak future. The government should not treat the incident as a mere accident, but initiate action with an iron hand. “It is a case of clear murder…The government should be impartial in its acts and grant relief to the victims’ families,” he said.
Dr. Krishnasamy said that his party had been raising its voice for over three decades for issuance of a G.O. to recognise Pallar, Taladi, Moopar, Udumbar, Pannadi and others as Devendra Kula Vellalars. “The fight will continue until it is achieved. In this connection, demonstrations will be staged in all district headquarters on August 6,” he added.
Taking a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu outfits in the State for their stoic silence over caste-based murders and violence, Dr. Krishnasamy said that when honour killings, including the recent death of Gokulraj, were being reported these organisations remained silent.