Relatives of Sasi Perumal, Gandhian and anti-liquor crusader, who died staging a protest demanding prohibition and closure of a liquor shop in Kanyakumari district on Friday, refused to accept the body after the post-mortem at the Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital (KGMCH) on Saturday reiterating their demand for ban on alcohol in Tamil Nadu.
Immediately after the post-mortem was over at KGMCH, Collector Sajjansingh R. Chavan came to the hospital and held talks with S.K. Selvam, brother of late Sasi Perumal, his two sons and relatives around 1 p.m.
The Collector tried to persuade them to accept the body as the TASMAC shop in Unnamalaikadai was closed, but they were firm in their stand and demanded total prohibition across the State. They maintained that they would not accept the body until the government announced prohibition, which was the only objective of Sasi Perumal.
Speaking to reporters, the family members said, “If anybody accepts the body using the family’s name, we will fight it out in the court.”
Mr. Selvam told reporters that the police, revenue and fire and rescue department officials were responsible for the death of his brother. They could have taken proper steps to safeguard him, he added.
While waiting outside the post-mortem block, Sasi Perumal’s elder son S. Vivek fainted. He was taken to a nearby private hospital.
Road blockade
Meanwhile, leaders from all party except AIADMK staged a road blockade. They raised slogans against the district administration and the ruling party functionaries for their nonchalant attitude.
A team of three doctors, headed by Professor of Forensic Science Department Dr. Rajesh, conducted the post-mortem lasting about 90 minutes. The in-camera autopsy was videographed by the hospital and police authorities.
Sasi Perumal, who was here yesterday to participate in a demonstration to shift a TASMAC outlet, scaled a mobile phone tower to mark his protest. As he was standing atop the tower for over four hours, he fell unconscious. With the help of Fire and Rescue Service personnel, he was brought down and rushed to the hospital, where the doctors pronounced him “brought dead”.
