A nineteen-year-old migrant worker from Odisha, whose makeshift shed in Jedarpalayam village of Tamil Nadu’s Namakkal district was set ablaze by miscreants on May 14, succumbed to severe burn injuries at the Government Medical College Hospital in Karur on Wednesday, May 17. The body of the deceased, identified as T Rakesh, has been sent for post-mortem and the district administration is taking steps to send the mortal remains to his hometown. Three other migrant workers also sustained injuries in the attack, but police sources said their health is stable.
Rakesh, who hailed from Balangir of Odisha, used to live with Sukuram (28), Yeswanth (18), and Gokul (23) from Chhattisgarh in the makeshift shed set up inside the jaggery manufacturing unit in Jedarpalayam. The unit belonged to Muthusamy of Saralaimedu. According to the First Information Report (FIR), unidentified persons sneaked into the shed on May 14, poured kerosene, and set it on fire while the workers were sleeping. The workers managed to escape and the injured were rushed to the hospital. A case has been registered under Sections 448 (house-trespass), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to the police, this is the fifth such incident to take place in and around Jedarpalayam village in the past two months, in the backdrop of the death of 27-year-old V Nithya. Nithya, a resident of Karaipalayam, was found dead near a pond in the locality on March 11 this year. The police later arrested a 17-year-old boy, who was working in a jaggery manufacturing unit in Jedarpalayam. As per The Hindu, the police said that the boy had tried to sexually assault Nithya while she was alone. When she resisted, he apparently became even more aggressive, eventually killing her.
However, area residents have been claiming the involvement of migrant workers in the incident, urging the police to investigate those working at the jaggery manufacturing units. They also demanded the owners of jaggery manufacturing units to stop employing migrant workers, besides seeking a transfer of the case concerning Nithya’s murder to the Crime Branch - CID. None of these demands were met.
Then on, some residents from the village have been targeting jaggery units that employed migrant workers, even setting ablaze some such units on March 15. Karapalayam, Vadakaraiyathur, and Melmugam villages witnessed similar incidents in the following weeks, even though no casualties or injuries were reported.
Speaking to The News Minute, Jedarpalayam police sources confirmed that in the first attack, three jaggery manufacturing units were set ablaze in March. In the second incident, three tractors and one jaggery manufacturing unit were set on fire. “The investigation is going on and we will ascertain the details of the attacks and who all are involved after the probe,” sources said.
As a number of such incidents have been reported in the past two months, police protection at the jaggery units in the region has been increased over the last three days. Police have set up checkposts in Jedarpalayam and are inspecting all vehicles entering the locality. Eight special teams have been formed to nab the accused.
C Kalaichelvan, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Namakkal, told TNM that nearly 600 police personnel were deployed in and around Jedarpalayam to give protection to migrant workers and jaggery manufacturing units, adding that investigations are also underway to nab those who set the shed on fire. “Police have been deployed in 34 important points, and checkposts have been erected to screen who is entering the villages. Up to 20 two-wheeler patrolling units have also been deployed to prevent any untoward incident,” he said.
The SP further stated that the district administration and police higher officials have held discussions with migrant workers to pacify and give confidence to them in this tense situation. “Village residents are speculating the involvement of migrant workers in the sexual assault and murder of [Nithya], and have demanded a CB-CID inquiry. Now, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C Sylendra Babu has also ordered the transfer of the case to CB-CID,” he said, adding that he hoped these steps would bring normalcy to the atmosphere in the locality.
