TIRUNELVELI: Four senior citizens above the age of 85 in Perumpathu village near Nanguneri refused to cast their postal ballot on Tuesday, in line with the village’s call to boycott the upcoming Assembly election.
Election officials who visited the village to facilitate postal voting returned after the elderly residents declined to participate.
The boycott follows a violent incident on March 2 at Indira Colony in Perumpathu, wherein two persons were killed and four others injured. One of the injured, Nelson, continues to suffer serious physical impairment.
Villagers have been demanding that the Tirunelveli district collector visit the area, condemn the incident, and ensure that action is taken against all those involved, including alleged supporters of the accused.
They had earlier staged protests and put up banners and black flags announcing the poll boycott. Though the police held multiple rounds of talks with villagers, no agreement had been reached.
The police said the accused in the case have been arrested and detained under the Goondas Act. However, villagers said they were dissatisfied, as their demand for an official visit and assurance from the collector remains unfulfilled.
Though the police held multiple rounds of talks with villagers, they failed to convince them