COIMBATORE: It was a usual day for a senior journalist and photographer who were on their way to cover a story at Valparai on Thursday morning until they spotted a group of frantic police officers struggling to stop a man from his suicide bid. A tea estate labourer in his 50s, Veeramani, had climbed up a 30-ft high voltage electricity tower in an attempt to kill self allegedly due to issues at his workplace.
Despite the request of cops and firefighters, he was not ready to climb down. All he wanted was an assurance from a department official that the issues with his estate management would be immediately sorted. That’s when the journalist, Wilson Thomas from an English daily, entered the scene. Upon the rescue team’s request, he acted as an assistant commissioner of the labour department. The ‘officer’ spoke to Veeramani and assured proper action on his complaint.
A convinced Veeramani withdrew his protest and climbed down the tower, putting an end to the three-hour-long negotiation.
(To overcome suicidal thoughts, contact the health department’s helpline 104 or the Vidiyal helpline run by Coimbatore police at 0422-2300999)