TIRUNELVELI: Months have passed but the daughter of the late police Sub Inspector, who died of Covid-19 during the first wave, still awaits a job under compassionate grounds as the family lost the breadwinner.
Thatchanallur Sub Inspector Murugan (57) died on September 12, 2020, in the district. The compensation of Rs 25 lakh announced by the government reached them only on March 18, 2021.
Sub-Inspector Murugan, who was in service for nearly 36 years, tested positive during the end of August. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. Two of his daughters are married and his third daughter, Amrutha, lives with her mother while awaiting for the job in the Police department. She hopes to serve in the same department as her father.
Speaking to TNIE, Amrutha (24), a resident of Karaiyiruppu in Thatchanallur said, "Since childhood, we sisters grew up waking to the walkie-talkie reading Thirukkural every morning 7 am and ending the day at nearly 11 pm waiting for our father to eat dinner together. While he couldn't spend much time with the family, he was dedicated to his work and I have seen him mostly in the police uniform. He was the pillar of the family. During the pandemic period, he did not hesitate to join the frontline force and worked from midnight to early morning hours. As he was the breadwinner of the family, now we are left in a lurch. I was looking for a job and then was informed that I would be given one under compassionate grounds. However, I did not receive any information till now."
Family fulfils sub inspector's last wish
Within 100 days of Murugan's funeral, his family fulfilled his last wish -- to construct an outpost for his colleagues at Karaiyiruppu region. The family sponsored nearly `2 lakh for the construction works. In December 2020, the outpost was inaugurated.
Amrutha said, "He was mostly posted for duty at Karaiyiruppu region. During those times, he found out that there was no shed due to which police officials suffered a lot, especially during the summer. Hence, he planned to construct a shed for the police personnel with his retirement money. However, he could not fulfil his wish. After his unexpected death due to Coronavirus, we sponsored the construction."