A majority of traders downed shutters in Karaikal town on Friday expressing solidarity with the parents of an eighth-standard schoolboy who was allegedly poisoned to death by his classmate's mother recently.
The accused Sahayarani Victoria was arrested and jailed on charges of poisoning the boy with spiked soft drinks.
Blaming "negligence" on the part of the police and health departments, the parents had demanded action against certain officials, holding them responsible for the death of their son Bala Manikandan.
The traders demanded stringent action by the Puducherry government against the authorities of the Government General Hospital in Karaikal, complaining that a chunk of the medical staff spent substantial durations in Puducherry, neglecting their daily duties.
Normal life was affected as even private buses kept off the roads. Most of the shops in Karaikal, Kottucherry, Tirunallar, and Tirumalairayanpattinam remained closed.
Parents of the boy, Rajendran and Malathi, called on District Collector L. Mohamed Mansoor and sought action against the "negligent" police and health department officials.
Later in the day, the Puducherry Government issued orders suspending two doctors at the Government General Hospital, Karaikal.
The Chief Secretariat (Health) initiated disciplinary proceedings against S. Vijayakumar, Chief Medical Officer, and Balaji Thiruvangadam, General Duty Medical Officer and placed them under suspension with immediate effect under sub-rule (1) of Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965.
In a separate order, Secretary to Government (Health) C. Udaya Kumar, instructed them to remain at Karaikal and not to leave the headquarters without obtaining permission.
