VILLUPURAM: The family of a 28-year-old Irular tribal worker, who allegedly died of electrocution at a private automobile workshop in Villupuram, accepted the body on Wednesday but refused to perform the final rites, demanding a re-autopsy with video documentation and a fair police probe into the incident.
The deceased, K Kanniappan, was allegedly electrocuted while using a water gun to clean a motorcycle at the facility on Tuesday night. Employed in the water service section of a private workshop affiliated to TVS Motor Company, Kanniappan had rejoined work last month following a five-month break.
According to the bereaved family, the firm attempted to downplay the incident by offering Rs 10,000 as compensation, without taking responsibility for the death or extending support as mandated under labour laws. This enraged the family, who also alleged that the police were initially reluctant to act against the firm.
Speaking to TNIE, K Indhu (22), the wife of the deceased, said, “After we were informed of his death, the body was sent to Mundiyambakkam Government Medical College Hospital. However, instead of a team of doctors, only one doctor conducted the autopsy. We have also submitted a complaint to the police, but no FIR was filed initially.”
The family, supported by the Palangudi Irular Pathukaapu Sangam and the Villupuram Automobile Workshop Workers’ Association, has demanded that the re-autopsy be conducted in the presence of a Deputy Superintendent of Police and be videographed. They have also sought legal action against the workshop under appropriate labour and criminal laws.
Magesh, a representative of the workers’ association, said, “The company has not shown any accountability. We want the firm to be tried in a court of law to ensure justice is delivered to the family.”
P V Ramesh of the Sangam said the case should be registered under the Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923 and possibly the Factories Act, 1948. “Additionally, Section 304A of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to causing death by negligence, should be invoked. But the FIR filed lacks these critical provisions, indicating a deliberate attempt to shield the firm’s management,” he added.
When contacted, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ravindra Kumar Gupta told TNIE that an FIR has been registered and the manager of the workshop was arrested on Wednesday night. “Further investigation is under way,” he said. Police sources said the case was booked under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, pertaining to suspicious death.