MADURAI:
The Madras High Court today issued notices to the chief secretary and IG of Police (IGP), South Zone, on a plea seeking action against the Tirunelveli collector and police for allegedly being indifferent to a family’s complaint against a money lender which led them to commit suicide by setting themselves ablaze last month.
A division bench of the court in Madurai comprising justices M Venugopal and Abdul Quoddhose sought the reply of the two officials by December 6. A couple had set themselves and their daughters, aged two and five, on fire at the collectorate complex in Tirunelveli on October 23 protesting “harassment” by a money lener.
The woman and the children died the same day, while the man succumbed to injuries the next day. The petitioner alleged that the family had been threatened by the money lender and despite their complaints to authorities, no action was taken.
The petition filed by Senthilkumar sought the court’s direction to the government to pay compensation to the next of kin of the family and deduct the amount from the salaries of the district collector and police officials of Achamputhur police station in Tirunelveli district.
