A 70-year-old AIADMK worker allegedly committed suicide in Tiruppur district on Thursday as he was unhappy over reports of party supremo and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s ill-health.
The police on Friday said that Vellayappan, a former town secretary of AIADMK in Tiruppur, consumed poison in his house in Sholayur on Thursday, reported PTI.
He was taken to the Tirupur Government Hospital but did not respond to treatment.
On the same day, another AIADMK worker succumbed to burn injuries at the Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) hospital. He had on Tuesday set fire to himself after insisting that Jayalalithaa's real health condition report be released.
According to a report in The Times of India, the deceased has been identified as Sargunam, a resident of Kadaperi near Tambaram.
"He went to the MEPZ near Tambaram Sanatorium with a bottle of kerosene on Tuesday evening, raised slogans in praise of the CM, and insisted that officials come out with the real facts on her health. Before people could stop him, he doused his body with kerosene and set himself on fire," the report states.
Sargunam's wife Sheela told the police that he had been depressed for the past few weeks. The couple has a four year old daughter.
A case has been registered by the Tambaram police.
Sargunam's case comes less than a week after another party worker reportedly ended his life after apparently being depressed over the AIADMK chief's poor health condition.
S. Saravanan (60) -a worker at a fireworks factory- had consumed poison on the morning of October 5 in Vadugapatti.
The Hindu reported that Saravanan's daughter P. Ponmani "said in a police complaint that her father had been a staunch loyalist of the AIADMK for the last 15 years. In the last one week, he seemed to be worried over the reports on Chief Minister’s health condition. He broke down on Wednesday (October 5) and consumed poison."
The report adds that another AIADMK cadre from Pudukooraipettai suffered 30% burns after a reported immolation bid ‘as a sacrifice’ for Jayalalithaa's speedy recovery.
(This copy has been updated.)
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