Farmer’s body handed over to relative in Tiruchy; son protests

TIRUCHY: With the body of a farmer who was electrocuted in Tiruchy had reportedly gone missing from the Srirangam GH, the son of the deceased person filed a complaint with the police on Saturday, only to find that the body was already handed over to the relative.

Vadamalai (46), a farmer from Nachampatti village near Musiri in Tiruchy, went to agricultural work in Sirugambur village on Friday. While working, he accidentally stepped on the live wire lying on the ground and was electrocuted.

The locals who witnessed the incident passed on the information to the local police, who retrieved the body and sent it to the Srirangam Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the information about the death was passed on to Vadamalais’ son Serlvaraj, who has been working in Kuwait. Soon, he rushed back to Srirangam to receive his father’s body. However, when he reached the hospital, the officials told him that the body had been handed over to one of their relatives, and the post-mortem report was also handed over to the particular relative.

Shocked over this, Selvaraj argued with the officials and urged them to bring back the body and hand it over to him. The officials told him that the body was handed over to his cousin, Dharmar. However, Selvaraj continued to protest and argued that he was the sole blood relative authorised to receive the body and continued to demand his father’s body.

Subsequently, Selvaraj filed a complaint with the Srirangam police, who held talks with him. Later, Selvaraj, along with his family members, went to the District Collectorate demanding his father’s body back and a compensation of Rs 25 lakh along with government employment to one of the family members.

The police later held talks with the family members and convinced them that the body had been handed over to a relative. Subsequently, they left the collectorate.