The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Student's funeral held amid tight security

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Student's funeral held amid tight security

By Our Special Correspondent

CUDDALORE, NOV. 24. The funeral of the Annamalai University student, G. Sivasakthi, who died on Monday, was held in his village Chozhatharam near Sethiathope, this afternoon amid heavy police bandobust.

A hosteller, he died reportedly due to brain fever.

Earlier in the day, a three-member medical team from the Chidambaram Government Hospital conducted a post-mortem at the Chozhatharam veterinary hospital in the presence of the Chidambaram Sub-Collector, Rajendra Ratnu; the Villupuram Superintendent of Police, K. Periaiah (Cuddalore in-charge), and the Sethithope DSP, Jayalakshmi. Later, the body was buried.

Family members, along with leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Dalit Panthers of India and the Students' Federation of India, had insisted that the post-mortem be done only in the Chidambaram Government Hospital.

Spot post-mortem

However, the Sub-Collector firmly told them that only a spot post-mortem would be permitted and on no account would the body be taken back to Chidambaram.

The doctors removed the brain, besides the viscera and intestines, for chemical tests to ascertain the cause of death. The reports would be available in a month.

The poor family of Sivasakthi appealed to the Sub-Collector to get a suitable job for his elder brother, G. Bala Sivasankar, an M.A. B.Ed, who is working in a school for a salary of Rs. 600. His father, Govindaraj, belonging to a Scheduled Caste, is a retired postman, owning 30 cents of land.

It is likely that the university will consider the plea for a job for Bala Sivasankar.

On a request for financial relief to the family, Mr. Rajendra Ratnu said the Cuddalore Collector, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, had faxed a message to the State Government.

The Sub-Collector said the Collector's counselling helped in defusing tension, which prevailed at Chozhatharam for the past two days.

The eight students, arrested by the police in connection with yesterday's campus violence following the death of Sivasakthi, are likely to move bail petitions tomorrow.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu