TIRUNELVELI: A 72-year-old farmer and his 40-year-old son allegedly consumed poison at Manimuthar police station. The duo was at the police station in connection with an inquiry into a land dispute here on Wednesday.
Following the incident, the duo, identified as Lakshmanan and Chandrasekar from Therku Pappankulam, was initially taken to Ambasamudram Government Hospital for treatment. The doctors at the GH referred them to Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) where they are under treatment in the ICU.
Claiming that the police inquiry into the land dispute was biased Chandrasekar’s wife, Sivakami, told TNIE her husband and father-in-law were called to the police station many times over the issue.
“The inquiry was in favour of the opponent party. Today, they were once again called to Manimuthar police station. The police personnel called me over the phone and informed me that both of them consumed poison at the station,” said Sivakami.
When contacted, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ambasamudram division, Satheesh Kumar, said the police are conducting an inquiry over the suicide attempt of the duo. When asked why the police inquired about the civil dispute, he said the inquiry was conducted to avoid any law-and-order issues.
“Lakshmanan is in possession of his family land. His brother Vellapandi died some years ago. When Vellapandi’s son Rajasekar approached the police demanding a share in the particular land, the police called the father-son duo to the station in an attempt to solve the dispute,” said Kumar.
Sivakami said since the 108 ambulance was not available in Ambasamudram government hospital, she was asked by the hospital administration to hire a private ambulance to take Chandrasekar and Lakshmanan to TvMCH.
“The delay in hiring an ambulance worsened the health condition of the duo,” she claimed.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu Health Department’s helpline 104 and Sneha suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)