TN policeman begged for help, ministers didn't care

A case of shocking indifference came to light on January 7, when a sub-inspector of police in Tirunelveli district of southern Tamil Nadu, bled to death after gangsters cut off his legs.

Fourty-four-year-old R Vetrivel's cry for help went in vain even after Tamil Nadu Health Minister MRK Paneerselvam and Youth and Sports Development Minister T P M Mohideen Khan, travelling in a convoy, saw him lying in a pool of blood.

The convoy did stop, but neither of the ministers stepped out of their cars.

After the incident came to light, we at NDTV.com were inundated with comments from angry surfers across the country. Here's what they had to say...

He was attacked with home made bombs and his legs were brutally hacked by gangsters. The video was shot by a free lance cameraperson covering the ministers' visit. The cameraperson was not an NDTV employee.

SurferSpeak:

Mir says: Culpability lies with every single person present at the scene - ministers, other officials, passer-bys and the person who made the video. Nation today should mourn not just the death of a person but the demise of humanity.

Suresh says: It is sad that human element is missing in this incident. Whether it is the minister or media it is but natural for one human to help another. This incident reflects the sorry state of affairs in our society.

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Vetrivel, a member of the Special Task Force that gunned down forest brigand Veerappan in 2004, lay in a pool of blood with his leg severed and begged for help after the attack at Alwarkuruchi shortly before the ministerial convoy was to pass by.

SurferSpeak:

Suneet says: They should be stripped off their portfolio's, and their MLA seat should be taken away.They should be barred from any elections and put into jail. Coz its criminal of what they did in a democracy. They are for the people and not people for them. If they don't understand democracy they have no right to be in those posts.

Manjulareghu says: For the first time in my life I am ashamed to call myself an INDIAN.......Dogs get better care than this....If a policeman gets this kind of treatment,what should I expect for myself as an ordinary citizen....would people again cast their vote????

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The sub-inspector was badly injured after the assailants attacked him with sickles in a case of mistaken identity.

SurferSpeak:

Vinay Grover says: Why only the ministers... the whole Government has to take the responsibility of allowing this kind of rowdyism to grow in the state and leading to the death of a police man. The law and order is totally out of control. Won't the police community and the people get so annoyed with the whole government. It's time the government takes the responsibility.

Khushi says: This was so disturbing and breath-taking to see a man lying in front of you, bleeding and crying for help and I cant do anything. I can't understand why this person was making the video rather than helping him. Why so many people were roaming around rather than carrying him to hospital.

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The ministers' convoy did stop but failed to provide any real assistance until it was just too late. Neither of the ministers stepped out of their cars. With them were bureaucrats - a Collector and a Health Secretary.

SurferSpeak:

Vimala Seetharaman says: It's shocking. The sight of a bleeding helpless human being fighting and begging for life, and a horde of people looking at him. No words to describe my emotions. What has happened to the sense of humanity? Are we still living amidst humans?

Keerthi says: Pathetic to see the Policeman dying.Ministers have been using the police guards enough for their purpose.These sort of ministers should not be given any guard(this should be the punishment)except for the leaders like pm and cm.they shud be treated as normal employees of the state.

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The Collector, M Jayaraman, got out of his car after dithering for eight minutes. But nobody offered to take the wounded inspector to hospital. Finally, the Collector phoned for an ambulance, which didn't arrive.

SurferSpeak:

Karthik says: It's not only the ministers around that situation. Who ever think them as human being also helped. It clearly depicts, humanity died along with that police man. Today it's the police man...tomorrow one among us...Think as a human being with all your sense.

Sumit says: We debate about inhuman activities carried out by Taliban but this incident was even worse than those. It was so sad that two ministers did not intervene in his rescue and let a cop bleed to death. If they had fear for their life they should have at least ordered there escort cops to take this bleeding cop to death. Also Home Minister for state should resign on moral grounds and these two ministers should be sacked.

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Twenty minutes later, the cop was placed in one of the cars (the ministers still didn't offer theirs). The policeman died en route to the hospital.

After the ambulance was gone, the Health Minister finally got out of his car. When contacted later for a comment, he angrily asked the NDTV correspondent to leave him alone.

SurferSpeak:

Jai Shankar says: Should ministers be punished for not helping? Its a big YES. As a minister, he had all the power and resources at his disposal to save this poor man. How could anyone be so indifferent and watch the suffering of a fellow human being? Where is the compassion and humanity among all those people present watching the poor man die? How could these people live with their conscience? Its a shame for Tamil Nadu and India

Satish says: Dear Friends, This is one of the most disturbing events I have seen in my life...My heart goes out to the poor SI who appears to have been killed as a result of mistaken identity..whatever the case may be...I still do not know how NDTV refers to these "so-called" ministers..Thiru (which can be translated in Hindi as Shri)...I do not think they can be called animals as it would be a disrespect to animals...and I do not why the colleagues of the policeman did not respond to the call of time..why the people of the village took so much time to respond..what were the reporters of local channel doing there, other than filming the event...really I find the whole situation pathetic, but people have lost the basic ethics, senses and common sense..and later some god-damned secretary says "the police have done a good job'...irony... my heart goes out to his family.

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The nationwide outrage over the incident seems to have had little effect on the two minsiter as they stayed from his last rites, which were held at his hometown of Sankaran Kovil. Only a DSP was there to lay a wreath on the sub-inspector's body.

SurferSpeak:

Suresh Subramanian says: This is a totally unacceptable act by a group of people. This act will not happen anywhere in the world shame to these ministers.Action should be taken against them.

Zainab Bandali says: ministers and the cop standing had cars to transport him to hospitals. they should be prosecuted for causing death with negligence

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Meanwhile, three days after the incident, the Tamil Nadu government is yet to announce a compensation for the family of the policeman who died while on duty. Vetrivale leaves a wife and two children behind.

SurferSpeak:

Vasanth M says: I feel so ashamed to live in a city with those inhuman ministers.

Shaji Jacob says: Just seen this shocking news. It's terrible such ruthless things happen in India still. All the people standing near the scene of the incident are heartless, they all should be responsible for the Sub Inspectors death and especially the Minister and the Collecter. Will they behave in the same way if it was one of their loved ones. Shame on the uncultured people. I would like to see what type of action the CM would take on the people and how they come forward to help the Sub Inspectors family.

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