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Rangasamy assures full-fledged probe into convict’s death in jail

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Tuesday told the Assembly that the government would order a thorough probe into the death of life convict Kamal Shah in the Central Prison on Monday.

Raising the issue during zero hour, leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam A. Anbalagan urged the government to present a white paper on the incident. The death of the convict occurred under suspicious circumstances, he said, adding that the government should not attempt to hush up the case.

N. Kalainathan (Communist Party of India) wondered how the authorities allowed the convict to use a spoon in the cell. He urged the government to take steps to ensure that the prison was shifted to the new venue. Adequate number of warders and personnel should be appointed at the prison, he said.

S.P. Sivakumar (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) said it was hard to believe that the convict had committed suicide by using the spoon. Referring to reports that a letter was found in the hands of the deceased, he said there was nothing wrong in publicising its contents. He pleaded with the Chief Minister to present a statement in the House on Wednesday.

The AIADMK members staged a walkout from the Assembly as the adjournment motion given by them on issues relating to the law and order situation in the Union Territory was not allowed.

Members belonging to the Puducherry Munnetra Congress and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam also staged a walkout, flaying the government’s failure to take steps to concede the demands of the workers of the Jayaprakash Narain Cooperative Spinning Mill in Karaikal.

Participating in the debate on nine demands including Agriculture, Industries and Electricity, V.M.C. Sivakumar (DMK) said the government should not supply certain cattle fodder in which chemicals such as urea were mixed. The fodder was harmful to the milch animals and the people who consumed milk, he added.

A. Marimuthu (Independent) urged the government to supply raincoats for the agricultural workers. In view of the seasonal nature of farm work, he said the farmhands should be given assistance for six months when they were jobless. He pleaded with the government to enhance the solatium to the kin of the deceased farm workers to Rs. one lakh.

T. Thiagarajan (Congress) urged the government to provide free power to the farmers. Om Sakthi Sekar (AIADMK) wanted the government to use the unemployed youth to collect data for various departments. Certain remarks made by him regarding collection of power tariff were expunged.

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