In a related development, 47-year-old S. Ravichandran, a Congress Ward Secretary in Sirkali town, about 225 km South of Chennai, attempted self-immolation on Saturday, anguished over the continuing killing of Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka and the Indian Government's "insufficient action" in being unable to stop the war.
Depressed over the developments in Sri Lanka, Ravichandran drenched himself with kerosene and set himself ablaze, even as his mother fainted on seeing his son's bizaree action, sources said. Ravichandran was later shifted to the District Government hospital in Mayiladuthurai with 80 per cent burns and is "battling for life". This is third such self-immolation bid in Tamil Nadu over this issue in the last nine days, the first two being that of Muthukumar in Chennai and the second of B.Ravi in Dindigul District.