CHENNAI: Carrying meal boxes and water bottles, four siblings from Chennai have been fanning out of their homes in the morning every day, defying lockdown restrictions and the harsh weather. They are not headed for work, but are searching for their father who has been missing for 13 days. Adikesavan’s mother passed away on June 6 and after her final rites were performed, Adikesavan showed Covid symptoms. A test confirmed his infection and officials picked him up from his home for admission at the Kilpauk Medical College (KMC).
According to officials, he was taken to a screening centre in Ekkatuthangal and dropped at the x-ray section of the KMC, amid a queue of people. And that’s when he was last seen. “That is where our duty ends and the staff at KMC take over from there. Every time his son Manivannan called me enquiring about his father, I would in turn contact another patient accommodated with Adikesavan. He would tell me about the elderly person being treated there and I would pass the information to his son,” said Divya, the sanitary inspector, adding they have launched a search for Adikesavan.
Manivannan learnt of his father’s disappearance on June 15, when he sent a picture of his father to the other patient. He found out that he had been fed information about a completely different person. “All my siblings scour the city everyday. We initially searched places near KMC. While some recognised him, many didn’t. Initially, we were happy he was alive,” said Manivannan. However, hope has given way to desperation. The siblings have already visited every government hospital in the city. “On Wednesday, for example, I went to the KMC to check CCTV footage with police personnel.
My elder brother headed to North Chennai while my sister’s family went searching at Chetpet,” said Manivannan. “The only good thing is that workplaces have been closed and we do not have work from home as well and have plenty of time,” he said. A senior KMC official said that they had conducted an internal enquiry and combed CCTV footage.
They found that Adikesavan did not even enter the campus. Meanwhile, several activists and individuals have come forward to help. One of Adikesavan’s grandkids is a student at a special school in Chennai and their principal, along with other activists, has brought the incident to the attention of several senior police and administration officials. “We want to get on the road and search for the elderly man, but the lockdown is stopping us,” said Vaishnavi Jeyakumar, a disability activist. Public can contact 7418975507 if they get any info on Adikesavan.
Team formed
Every sibling and friends involved in the search were given a copy of the FIR. A police team under SI Mahesh has been working round-the-clock to find the missing man