Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

82-year-old provides security for polls

— Photo: G. Moorthy.

WATCHING: K. Singhili, lone security guard, at a polling station.

MADURAI: A strong and foolproof security arrangement is indispensable for a free and fair poll. But that did not seem to apply to a polling booth at Nattarmangalam near here falling under Theni Lok Sabha constituency.

It was manned by a single unarmed ex-serviceman aged 82!

K. Singhili said that he had served the Army as a sepoy between 1942 and 1947.

“After being discharged from the military, I joined the State police and retired as a constable in 1976. I did not get any promotion during my service period because I am educated only up to fifth standard,” he added.

The octogenarian claimed to have provided security cover to almost all elections, but for the by-elections, held in the State since 1952.

“I have been there, be it the Parliamentary elections, Assembly elections or the panchayat elections. You see, I am an expert in poll duty,” he exclaimed proudly. Ex-servicemen had been engaged as ‘special police officers’ for four days on a daily wage of Rs.300 besides Rs.60 as food allowance. “I have four sons and a daughter, yet this is big money for me. I am not sure whether I will live to see the next elections,” he said with a choked voice. Nattarmangalam is one among the three infamous panchayats here, the other two being Pappapatti and Keeripatti, which protested against reserving the post of president for Dalits. The Pappapatti booth was manned by two ex-servicemen and a head constable while one constable and one ex-serviceman safeguarded Keeripatti booth.

“The entire security is dependant upon mobile squad comprising four to seven Central paramilitary force personnel who were on the move covering at least 24 polling booths. How can the ex-servicemen prevent brawls like this,” C. Anandan, a resident of Keeripatti, asked pointing to a quarrel between political cadres outside the booth.

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