A former AIADMK party worker tried to set himself afire at the Villupuram Collectorate on Saturday. The extreme step was reportedly an attempt at condemning the Kolathur panchayat, which has reportedly not paid workers’ wages. The man was arrested by the police. The process of filing nomination papers for the
upcoming LS polls started at the Villupuram Collectorate on Saturday. It was late afternoon, when the man ran into the premises and started pouring kerosene on himself from a bottle.
Police personnel standing guard at the Collectorate overpowered the man and snatched the bottle from him. Subsequently, Villupuram taluk police was informed. Police personnel rushed to the spot and
took the man to the police station. Enquiry revealed that the man named Sureshkumar(44) was from Kolathur near Ulundurpet. He was a former AIADMK town committee member. Currently he was the site in-charge for the work carried out under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). Sureshkumar accused the panchayat president and secretary of partiality. He told the police that wages were only being paid to those of the workers, who were personally known to the president and secretary. Whoever questioned their decisions, did not get paid.