Wife Cries Foul Over Death of Social Activist

Wife of social worker M S Sivakumar, (56), who died at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH) on November 6 after he was found lying unconscious on a busy road, submitted a petition to City Police Commissioner S George seeking a probe into the real cause of his death.

Rathi Sivakumar, a resident of Thrissur district in Kerala and a social worker herself,  suspected involvement of a Chennai-based school and two businessmen in the death.

According to her, she suspected foul play in the death as Sivakumar was fighting legal battles against the school management in Korattur, a businessman from Ormes Road in Kilpauk and another person.

The school authorities were aggrieved after Sivakumar represented a case in which a girl student had committed suicide after being scolded by her teachers in September 2011.

The case which came up before the Madras High Court ruled that Korattur Police investigate the case to find out as to whether any offence was committed leading to the death of the girl, who reportedly hanged herself. Incidentally, the order was issued two days after the death of Sivakumar.

He was living in the city taking care of his sister at Ayanavaram and helping those in distress in courts and in hospitals besides providing a decent burial to unclaimed bodies.

Sivakumar was found unconscious with bleeding injuries opposite to Central Railway Station in front of Buhari Hotel on November 5. He was moved to the Government Hospital where he underwent a surgery and was declared dead around 12.30 pm on November 6.  Police sources, quoting preliminary investigations, had said that the social worker had apparently fallen off his motorcycle while attempting to secure loose sheets of documents he was carrying on the vehicle’s petrol tank.

Rathi also submitted a similar petition to Director General of Police (DGP) raising doubts regarding the multiple internal injuries, including in heart, head and spinal chord.

She also wondered why there was no injury on the shoulder of her husband when he had fallen off the bike.

She also observed that Sivakumar, while helping those in need, had earned the wrath of several people.