MADURAI: R Parithivigneswaran of Kochadai, a 17-year-old national Judo player and first-year engineering student from Kochadai, wanted to become a police officer. But his dreams were cut short by an incident that took place on July 26, 2023, when a damaged electric pole fell on him, leading to the amputation of his left leg below the ankle.
In a video interview with the media narrating the ordeal, Parithivigneswaran said he was practising for the upcoming state-level Judo competitions. When he was on his way to pick up his friend for practice, a few TNEB staff were trying to replace a damaged electric pole using a crane. But the pole fell on him severely damaging his leg. Parithivigneswaran claimed that the accident took place due to the carelessness of the TNEB staff as they neither blocked the road nor installed any warning signs while changing the electric pole. "If I had not been alert and failed to move, I might have lost my life as the pole would have fallen on my head instead," he added.
His mother, the sole breadwinner of the family is a person with a physical disability. Now, he too has become a disabled person due to the accidents. Stating these facts, he appealed to the state government to provide him with a government job to ensure that their livelihood is protected.
Meanwhile, Parithivigneswaran's mother lodged a police complaint and a case has been registered by the SS colony police against the unknown crane operator and EB staff under Sections 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of IPC. "We have written to the TNEB seeking the names of the staff involved in the incident. Once we receive a reply, their names would be added to the FIR," a police official said.
V Vijay Anand, Parithivigneswaran's friend and fellow Judo player, told TNIE that Parithivigneswaran ranked fifth in India in the National Cadet Judo Championships that was recently held in Bellary, Karnataka. "His dream was to enter the uniformed services. But due to the carelessness of the authorities, he has been put in this situation. The crane operator ran away immediately after the pole fell and the staff blamed Parithivigneswaran instead of helping him," Anand said. Parithivigneswaran is presently undertaking treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai.
Though TNIE tried to contact TNEB officials, they were unavailable for comments.