Veeru, the character enacted by Dharmendra in Sholay, climbed a water tank and threatened to commit suicide because the film’s script demanded it. On Thursday, an army jawan reenacted the scene when he climbed a mobile phone tower on Banaswadi Main Road, near Madras Engineer Group (MEG), in Maruthi Sevanagar and threatened to commit suicide, though for an entirely different reason—he was miffed due to harassment by senior officers.
Had a fire officer not dared to climb the tower and bring the disheartened sainik down, it would have resulted in a tragedy. The drama began at 9 am when K Mutthu, working with the Dental Medicine Centre at MEG, climbed the 175-ft-high tower. MEG personnel saw him climbing the tower, but it took them some time to realise it was their colleague. Banaswadi police rushed to the spot after being informed by the soldiers. The police informed fire and emergency service control rooms at 10.30 am.
Range fire officer TN Shiva Shankar rushed to the scene along with his staff. He asked his colleagues to wait at the base of the tower. He then began to climb the tower. It required lots of courage, grit and presence of mind from Shiva Shankar to coerce Mutthu to come down. Mutthu agreed to come down at 12.30 pm after he was assured he would get a chance to speak with presspersons about his plight.
As the brave fire officer elicited cheer and applause from the crowd, Mutthu told presspersons that he wanted to end his life because of harassment by his superiors. “They never gave me minimum respect even though I am a sainik. They treated me like a slave; they even assaulted me. They did not sanction me leave. I was transferred four times over the past five years,” he said. MEG officials, who were at the spot, soon took him to their campus.
The drama lasted for four hours and caused a huge traffic jam as motorists stopped to see the rescue operation. Banaswadi police said they could not register an attempt-to-suicide case as Mutthu didn’t jump. “MEG officials will take action against him for what he did,” they said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}