V. Annalakshmi, 38, a candidate of Srirangam Assembly constituency and daughter of a slain activist, on Wednesday lodged a complaint with police expressing fears for her safety.
The complaint came after a banner featuring her father and her slain brother was disfigured by unknown persons at Muthalaipattti near Kulithalai.
According to sources, she put up a hoarding soliciting votes in a field near the spot where her father Veeramalai and brother Nallathambi were hacked to death by a gang in July 2019 for filing a contempt of court petition as part of their fight against encroachers on Muthalaipatti Eri.
It was alleged that a few villagers were unhappy over the presence of pictures of Veeramalai and Nallathambi on the banner near a village temple and defaced the board.
Fearing that it was yet another attempt to silence her, Ms. Annalakshmi, who is pursuing a case pending before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to retrieve about 200 acres of Muthalaipatti Eri from encroachers, filed a complaint at Kulithalai police station seeking action against the trouble mongers.
She said she was facing extreme pressure from those who had encroached the Muthalaipatti Eri. They could not stomach even the presence of pictures of her father and brother who fought for retrieval of the water body from encroachers.
“I continue to receive threat even after the murder of my father and my brother for pursuing the case. My house was damaged on 31.12.19 in the presence of the police. The flex board is damaged today. I foresee it is a direct threat on my life,” said Ms. Annalakshmi.
She supports her younger sister and mother with a modest income from a small piece of agricultural land at Muthalaipatti.
Backed by Makkal Pathai, Ms. Annalakshmi contested the election on the Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi ticket.
