NAGAPATTINAM: In a tragic incident, a 30-year-old man here was crushed to death when the sapparam (temple car), whose movement he was trying to regulate during a festival procession, ran over him in the wee hours of Saturday. This comes hardly three days after the Thanjavur temple car incident that claimed 11 lives.
The deceased, P Deepanraj, was reportedly laying 'stop blocks' in front of the temple car wheel, which was taken out in a procession as part of the Chithirai festival at Uthirapasupatheeswarar temple in Tiruchenkattankudi, when the incident occurred.
According to sources, as part of the Chithirai festival that was underway in the village over the past few days, hundreds of devotees around 11.45 pm on Friday involved in carrying the temple deities around the locality in a car procession. The procession, planned for about three hours, had over a dozen people, including Deepanraj, take up the role of laying ‘stop blocks’ in front of the chariot wheels to prevent it from swerving.
As the devotees were manoeuvring the temple car at a street corner some half an hour later, Deepanraj tried to correct its course by placing a ‘stop block’. He, however, fumbled in the act and came in the way of the car wheel, which then ran over him. Deepanraj sustained severe injuries in the incident, following
which the car procession was halted, sources added.
Onlookers and Deepanraj's relatives rushed him to the primary health care centre in Thirumarugal, from where he was referred to the government general hospital. Deepanraj, however, reportedly passed away on the way to hospital. Deepanraj’s body was handed over to his family after an autopsy. The Thirukkannapuram police registered a case. Further investigation is on.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, condoling Deepanraj's demise, announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh from the chief minister's public relief fund. Environment Minister Siva V Meyyanathan handed over the cheque to Deeparajan's family in the presence of District Collector A Arun Thamburaj, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation Chairman N Gowthaman and Nagapattinam MLA J Mohamed Shanavas.
Meanwhile, unlike the Kalimedu car procession, sources said that the temple event organisers at Tiruchenkattankudi took permission from the local police station in Thirukkannapuram as well as the panchayat union office in Thirumarugal for Friday's car procession.