When innocents came in the line of fire and dropped dead

TUTICORIN: Among the victims of Tuesday’s police firing at anti-Sterlite protesters in Tuticorin were not just protesters, but innocent passersby who unwittingly came in the line of fire. Antony Selvaraj, 46 of Annai Veilankanni Nagar, was one such hapless person who lost his life while coming out of his office.
Selvaraj was employed in a shipping firm at Teacher’s Colony near Third Mile, a few hundred metres from the collectorate where the police opened fire. His daughter Jennifer had attained puberty and the family was busy preparing for a function in this connection. He had told his wife in the morning that he would pick her from her office and together they would go to invite friends and relatives. However, fate willed otherwise and Selvaraj was shot dead.

L Prabhu, 36, a fisherman of Therespuram, must thank his lucky stars to be alive after taking a bullet in his triceps. He had already lost his right hand which had to be amputated after a cracker blast four years ago. On Tuesday, he had gone to the collectorate only as a spectator when the firing started and he ran for cover. Police were lathicharging and he did not know that he had taken a bullet. "I only thought it was a lathi impact that I sustained. The bullet was fired from behind and I had got it on my triceps. I ran to my house and it was only then that my sister L Anitha saw blood oozing from the gunshot wound,"he told TOI.

Cousins Priyanka and Anitha took him to the government medical college hospital. However, the hospital authorities could not admit him as there was heavy rush and he had to spend the night on painkillers. He returned to the hospital at 11 am on Wednesday when the bullet was pulled out surgically. Sasu Anand, 27, of Therespuram was also injured in the firing at Theraspuram with bullets piercing his neck on the left as well as left thigh. Suyambu Lingam, his friend, says Sasu is lucky to have evaded a bullet fired at his head. Muthukamar, 23, who works in a finance company at Tuticorin had bullet injuries on his right hand and left leg. The bullets were retrieved surgically.

Also among the protesters who died in the firing was S Maniraj, 25, who had got married to Petchiammal only three months ago. He owns an electrical shop and has been part of the anti-Sterlite protest all through the 100 days. During the protest, he sustained bullet injuries and died on Tuesday evening leaving his pregnant wife inconsolable. C Julie, 40, a widow who was among the protesters who marched to the collectorate said, "I am a homemaker and mother of two children who are in Classes IX and IV. I joined the protest on the eighth day after my husband died. The protest was a silent exercise from our part. The government and police cornered us at the collectorate and killed our brothers and sisters," she said.