Sad Pongal for those who lost their kin in Sabarimala tragedy

It was a sad Pongal for villagers of Thoppampatti on Coimbatore's outskirts and those in Dharmapuri district who lost some of their dear ones in the Sabarimala stampede which claimed 102 lives.

Fiftyfive-year old Ramakrishnan and his 10-year old adopted daughter were among those who died in the tragedy at Pullumedu near Sabarimala on January 14.

As the villagers were waiting for the bodies after autopsy, they were not keen on celebrating the harvest festival. The bodies were brought last evening from Kerala and handed over to relatives, police said.

In Dharmapuri district, bodies of seven of those who died were handed over to relatives.

The deceased were B Sathish (33) of Kumarasamipettai, R Kumaran (43), S Mani (31), V Raghu  (50), G Santhamurthy (23) of Mathikonpalayam and S Iyyappan (30) of Makkanur and R Krishnan (43) of Papparappatti.

Sathish was working as an employee in a tea stall in Kumarasamipettai, his brother said. This was his 25th trip. He survived by wife and two daughers.

The bodies were later cremated.

Collector R Anandakumar handed over cheques for Rs1 lakh as compensation announced by chief minister M Karunananidhi from the chief minister's relief fund to the next of kin of the deceased.

Dharmapuri superintendent of police R Sudhakar said those not having any information of their relatives who had gone to Sabarimala should inform the Special Branch at (04342) 230989, functioning round-the-clock.