Sack ministers who watched cop dying, demands Jayalalithaa

CHENNAI - AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa Monday demanded the sacking of two ministers of Tamil Nadu’s DMK government for not going to the rescue of a policeman who bled to death in their presence last week.

“I have few requests to the government. Dismiss the two ministers (M.R.K. Paneerselvam and T.P.M. Mohideen Khan) who merely watched the cop and also take severe action against the district collector who too watched the gory incident. The financial assistance to the family of Vetrivel (the policeman) should be increased to Rs.10 lakh from Rs.7 lakh,” the former chief minister and leader of opposition said.

Jayalalithaa was participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to Governor Surjit Singh Barnala’s address on the last day of the assembly session.

“The law and order in the state has worsened. There is no safety for the public with murder, dacoity, rape and kangaroo courts being rampant across the state.”

Citing the murder of R. Vetrivel, a sub inspector attached to Alwarkurichi police station in Tirunelveli district, she said: “In broad daylight Vetrivel was killed (by people) throwing bombs at him and attacking him with weapons.”

Vetrivel was hacked by a criminal gang Thursday in Tirunelveli district. As he lay on the road bleeding, a convoy of ministers’ Health Minister Paneerselvam and Sports Minister Mohideen Khan reached there.

Television footage showed the ministers and other officials, including police personnel, waiting passively for an ambulance, without bothering to shift the injured man to hospital.

According to Jayalalithaa, the whole nation was shocked to see Vetrivel pleading for help to save his life and the inhuman act of two DMK ministers, the district collector and other officials mutely watching him.