Man’s fingers crushed as officials slam door, public stage protest

Following their eviction from East Cooum Road, the families had reached Perumbakkam and had lined up to get their biometric identification done – a prerequisite in the resettlement plan. However, due to the large number of people gathered, chaos ensued and the officials conducting the biometric identification had asked the residents to move away. 

While they tried to shut the door, 42-year-old Amal’s fingers got caught in the hinges and were crushed. The residents then asked the officials to take the injured person to hospital but those conducting the biometric ID claimed that they were merely the contractors and walked away. 

The lack of response angered the residents, who staged a road blockade, stopping traffic on the Nookampalayam road for an hour in the afternoon. The Pallikarnai police reached the spot and pacified the crowd situation. 

Following this, officials from the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) intervened and negotiated with the residents, who demanded that the injured person should be given immediate treatment. An official from TNSCB claimed that the incident occurred while waiting for biometric enumeration when another resident had shut the door. 

“Our officials on the spot gave him first aid and he was taken to the hospital. He is fine now,” added the official. 

The incident occurs barely a few days after advocate commissioner K Ilango visited Perumbakkam for an audit following his appointment by the Madras High Court to verify the implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement of the families under the Integrated Cooum River Eco Restoration Project.