Villagers belonging to Nadupattu village in Krishnagiri district came down to Thandambattu village near Chengam in Tiruvannamalai district. They blocked the Puducherry-Bangalore National Highway at Thandambattu on Thursday evening along with the relatives of a lorry cleaner hailing from the village who died following a fall from a stationary lorry in Auroville in Villupuram district on Wednesday.
According to police sources, Ramamurthy (35), a lorry cleaner hailing from Thandambattu had travelled in a lorry driven by Shanmugam (35) of the same village, carrying a load of maida from Bangalore to Puducherry a few days ago.
On the way, they parked the lorry in front of a lorry booking office in Auroville for rest. Ramamurthy who was sleeping on top of the load fell down and sustained injuries.
Admitted to Jipmer
He was admitted to Jipmer, Puducherry from where he was taken to a hospital in Salem where he succumbed to injuries on Wednesday.
The Auroville police booked a case under section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (police to enquire into suicide or death under suspicious circumstances).
On hearing of this, the relatives and friends of Ramamurthy in Thandambattu village blocked the National Highway on Thursday demanding that the Auroville police should alter the case into death due to accidental fall from the lorry so that they could claim compensation from the government. The relatives of Ramamurthy’s wife in Nadupattu village also came to the spot and blocked the road along with the body of Ramamurthy.
Despite explaining that the relatives have to go to the Auroville Police Station for seeking any change in the section under which the case was booked, the agitators continued to block the road.
Some women doused themselves with kerosene and attempted to set fire to themselves.
Sundaramoorthy, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Chengam removed the cans and shoved the protesting women into a police van. Some women fell down in the process. This prompted the agitators to assault the DSP. But, the villages from Nadupattu refused to give up on the road-block agitation. The public and the police began attacking each other.
Lathi-charge
As the crowd became restive, the agitators were lathi-charged. Ponni, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvannamalai district rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. The relatives of Ramamurthy took the body to the village. Armed reserve police arrested 19 persons in connection with the incident.
The public and the police attacked each other. DSP Sundaramoorthy was assaulted in the incident
