Those who came to Madurai Collectorate from different parts of the district to take part in the grievance day meeting on Monday were in for a surprise as only one entrance of the big gated complex remained open.
Anticipating that a protest could be staged at the Collectorate, a good number of police personnel were posted at teh Collectorate. So it took some time for the throng of petitioners, including the aged and the differently abled, to brave the traffic on the road opposite the only entrance remaining open before entering the complex.
M. Kali, a 64 year-old man, who sought the help of a policeman to cross the Collector office road, said that he was waiting for 15 minutes inside the campus for the police to regulate inbound and outbound vehicular traffic before he could make his way out.
A police personnel said that the heavy deployment was to check and permit only those wearing helmets to enter the premises, as instructed by Collector T. G. Vinay. “Ever since two women and a boy attempted self-immolation on the Collectorate campus due to family problem, we are vigilant,” he said.