Labourer loses hand in sickle attack after work place dispute near Dharapuram

DHARAPURAM: A 32-year-old coconut harvester lost his hand after he was brutally attacked with a sickle following a dispute over work at an agricultural farm near Dharapuram, police said on Saturday.

The victim, identified as Muniyandi, hailing from Dindigul district, had recently joined work at an agricultural farm near Goundachipalayam.

Ranjith (32), a resident of Vellode near Perundurai, had been working as a coconut harvester at the same farm for several years.

A dispute broke out between Ranjith and Muniyandi over coconut harvesting work.

Enraged during the altercation, Ranjith attacked Muniyandi with a sickle, severing his hand.

Writhing in pain, Muniyandi placed his severed hand inside a plastic cover and rushed to the Dharapuram government hospital by a private ambulance.

Due to the lack of adequate surgical facilities for reattachment at the Dharapuram hospital, doctors placed the severed hand in an ice box and urgently referred him to the Coimbatore Government Hospital for advanced treatment.

The Mulanur Police have registered a case and are investigating the incident.