NAGAPATTINAM: A Woodcutter died from a bee sting near Thirumarugal in a bizarre incident on Sunday. The vehicle taking him to a hospital nearby was allegedly turned away by police at a containment zone. This resulted in a delay and subsequent death of the man.
S Rangasamy (40) from Keezhasannanallur in Thirumarugal block of Nagapattinam district was stung by a swarm of bees while he was cutting trees. He was being rushed to Nannilam Government General Hospital but the vehicle taking him was stopped by police citing lockdown restrictions. He died in Thirumarugal General Hospital. “We are shocked he is dead from a bee sting. We tried to take him to Nannilam GH because it is 2 km away. Instead, we had to take him to Thirumarugal GH, a distance of 10 km. He died there because we were made to turn back by police. The family needs justice,” said V Senthilkumar, a mason who accompanied Rangasamy to hospital.
Keezhasannanallur of Nagapattinam district and Nannilam in Tiruvarur district are located next to each other. The police in Tiruvarur had sealed the border between the two places as a protocol of inter-district lockdown.
Neighbours rushed Rangasamy in a car to Nannilam GH, but they were turned away by police. He was then taken to a primary health centre in Enangudi village where he was administered first-aid and rushed to Thirumarugal GH. Although he received treatment, he passed away by 1 pm. Rangasamy is survived by his wife and two children.
His death created a furore in his village. Traders in Thirumarugal have condemned the lockdown restrictions. “Many of our supplies come from Nannilam. The hospital in Nannilam is closer to us. We request the removal of restrictions between Nannilam and us,” said Sathiyamurthy, a representative of traders.
Three arrested for journo’s murder
Tiruchy: Three youth including two brothers were arrested on Sunday in connection with the murder of a reporter. On Saturday, a trio assaulted Manikandan, a reporter in a Tamil publication, near the Gandhi market. Police said Manikandan was working on an investigative story and had struck a friendship with the gang allegedly involved in smuggling PDS rice. “Manikandan tried investigating the issue, during which an argument broke out and ended in the assault, said police.