Denied burial rights, kin of deceased block road, detain bus

VANIYAMBADI: Relatives of a man who died in a traffic accident blocked a village road and besieged a government bus when a person who had encroached on a burial ground refused to allow them to bury the dead body, on Monday. Jayakumar of Vaniyambadi died in a road accident and when relatives came in a procession with his body to the burial ground in the Puthu Koil area, they were not allowed to bury him resulting in aggrieved villagers, including women blocking the road with the body in the middle and impounding a TNSTC bus, which came that way. While initial talks by revenue and police officials failed to have any effect, villagers finally relented and gave up the agitation following officials assuring them that encroachments on the burial ground would be cleared and that they could bury the body there.