Anti-liquor activist Sasiperumal died due to hanging:TN govt

Tamil Nadu government today told the Madras High Court that there was no mystery in the death of anti-liquor activist Sasiperumal and the post-mortem report has listed the cause as due to hanging.
Sasiperumal died while protesting atop a mobile phone tower seeking closure of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) liquor outlet at Unnamalaikadai village in Kanyakumari district on July 31.
Replying to a petition filed by Sasiperumal's son S Vivek demanding a judicial probe into the circumstances surrounding his father's death, Public Secretary to Government Public and Rehabilitation Department, Jatindra Nath Swain, said "the post-mortem findings are consistent with that the death was due to hanging."

The counter affidavit said "Sasiperumal and one Jeyaseelan first started climbing the (130 feet) tower. While the latter stopped in the middle of the tower, Sasiperumal reached the top..."
It was also submitted in the counter that police keeping vigil near the state-run liquor outlet were threatened by local politicians, including the local MLA, that if they tried to bring down the activists, people hiding in some places nearby will set themselves ablaze and that oil would be poured on them.
Protesters prevented fire and rescue service personnel from discharging their duties to bring down Sasiperumal from the tower, it said.

"Sasiperumal, meanwhile, sat on the tower and ligatured his neck with rope and tied the other end to the tower rod. Even as a fire service man rushed to rescue him, he saw blood was oozing out from Sasiperumal's nose and dripping over his chest."

"He cut the knot and brought him down and rushed him to Kuzhithurai Government Hospital. The medical officer declared him as 'brought dead,' the counter said.
Marthandam police registered a case and post-mortem was conducted. The post-mortem noticed "10 injuries including several abrasion injuries and wound caused by the rope tied by him over the front and outer aspect of left lower chest."

As per the counter, the liquor shop at Unnamalaikadai junction is being used for retail liquor sale since 1987 and for the past 12 years, the TASMAC shop was functioning from the same venue without causing any nuisance to public.