Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday told the media that he was not aware of an accident involving a 30-year-old woman in Coimbatore and an AIADMK flagpole.
He was speaking to reporters at Salem on Tuesday morning, around 24 hours after a 30-year-old woman came under the wheels of a lorry in Coimbatore after a flagpole allegedly erected by an AIADMK cadre fell on her path. “I haven’t got information about this (accident)…Nobody has told not to erect flagpole. We have not got any order (from court) to not erect flagpole, as far as I know,” he said in response to a question from reporters if he would take action against the person responsible for putting up flagpoles in Coimbatore which allegedly caused the accident.
The Madras High Court, in 2017, had banned the use of banners, hoardings and flexboards with pictures of living persons on it. However, the court did not specify if the ban would include flagpoles which are usually put up with flags of political parties in addition to hoardings and banners.
In December 2018, the Madras High Court had passed an interim order on regulations and provisions applicable to erection of flagpoles in Tamil Nadu. According to the order, erection of flagpoles by any political party or organisation without the necessary licence or permission is prohibited by law. In March this year, the court had stated that it is the local bodies’ responsibility in the state to ensure that no flagpoles are erected on the margins of the roads. The court had also asked for a status report to be filed on the matter by the government.
On Monday, Rajeswari alias Anuradha, a BBA graduate from Coimbatore was on her way to her work in Gokulam Park when the accident happened. When she was riding her scooter on Avinashi Road around 8.30 am on Monday, a flagpole bearing the AIADMK flag erected on the sides of the road for the family event of a local AIADMK worker allegedly fell in her path. As she swerved her bike to avoid the pole, she lost balance and fell onto the road. A lorry crashed into the scooter and also ran over her legs, leaving her gravely injured. Another rider B Vijayanand (34) was also caught in the accident and escaped with minor injuries in his hand. Rajeswari, who is the only earning member of her family, has been admitted into a private hospital for surgeries.
The lorry driver Murugan was arrested by the police on Tuesday morning. The Traffic Investigation Wing booked Murugan under sections 279 (Rash driving), 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of IPC.
The Peelamedu police had also informed TNM that necessary permissions were obtained before putting up the flagpoles on the side of Avinashi road.
Rajeswari’s accident took place on the same day the accused in 23-year-old Subhasri death case, S Jayagopal, was granted bail by the Madras High Court. Subhasri was killed after a banner erected in the median of a busy road in Chennai fell on her. She was thrown onto the middle of the road and run over by a tanker. The banners were put up for the family event of S Jayagopal, a former councilor from the AIADMK.
Source: The News Minute