CHENNAI: Amid the ongoing protest at Thiruverkadu against the eviction of encroachments in Koladi lake in Thiruverkadu, being carried out by the Water Resources Department (WRD), a 43-year-old man died by suicide at his house. While police said that the man was in debt, protesters said that his death was due to the eviction drive. Following his death, protesters staged a roadblock on Thiruverkadu-Ambattur stretch.
Police said Shankar was a carpenter and a resident in the area for past 10 years with his wife and three children. Police said Shankar took the extreme step due to a debt of around Rs 4 lakh - Rs 5 lakh, but his wife claimed he was distressed since receiving demolition notice.
On Monday, he was found dead by his family who alerted the police. He was rushed to a government hospital where he was declared dead. After the postmortem, his body was handed over to the family.
On Tuesday, the protesters said they would not allow Shankar’s final rites to proceed and demanded assurances from senior district officials or a minister that their homes would not be demolished.
WRD officials confirmed that the deceased was among the 1,320 families who were served eviction notices. The department had already demolished 33 new constructions. “This has been confirmed to be an encroachment and we will go ahead with the eviction drive unless further orders are received,” an official said.
After news reports that the 169-acre lake had shrunk due to alleged encroachments, the Madras High Court ordered the removal of encroachments in October this year. Due to the block on the Thiruverkadu-Ambattur Road, the traffic was significantly impacted as vehicles were rerouted. More than 300 police officers were deployed to control the crowd.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
1,320 families got notice
On Tuesday, the protesters said they would not allow Shankar’s final rites to proceed and sought assurances from senior district officials or a minister that their homes would not be demolished. Officials confirmed that deceased was among the 1,320 families who were served eviction notices
(With inputs from S Guruvanmikanathan)