In a third suicidal attempt in four days in Tamil Nadu protesting the Sri Lankan military action against the Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka , a 21-year-old youth in Cuddalore district on Sunday suffered serious injuries on jumping from a cell-phone signal tower.
Close on the heels of the
Tamil youth K. Muthukumar who died by burning himself in Chennai on Thursday last, followed by another self-immolation attempt by a farm worker B Ravi in Dindigul district, on Sunday morning it was the turn of another youth Deenadayalan, to attempt to jump to death in Alapakkam village near Cuddalore, 160 km South of Chennai.
Police sources told HT over telephone that the 21-year-old unemployed youth Deenadayalan had partly climbed a 45-metre tall mobile phone connectivity tower situated in his village and suddenly plunged down.
Some eye-witnesses heard him shout slogans that “ India should do something to stop the war in Sri Lanka ”, as he fell to the ground, Police said, adding, further investigations were on.
Deenadayalan was rushed to the Cuddalore Government Hospital from where he was later shifted to the Government General Hospital in Chennai, on the suggestion of the Dalit Panthers of India leader, Thol. Thirumavalavan, a strong LTTE supporter.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Government on Sunday warned the sponsors of the State-wide Feb 4 Bandh, the ‘Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement”, over the Island Tamils issue, and said such a call will be illegal and amount to violating the orders of the Supreme Court which had banned any “total shutdown”.
The Government in a statement said it will be constrained to take necessary preventive steps to ensure law and order in the State and to see that essential services were not affected on Feb 4.