A day after 17 people were killed in a compound wall collapse near here, the owner of the house around which the structure had been built was arrested on Tuesday on charges of causing death by negligence.
Amid demands for action under the SC and ST Act since the victims were Dalits, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami met the bereaved families at Nadur, over 50 km from here, and described the incident as ‘painful’ and assured action against the owner in accordance with law based on proper inquiry.
Conceding other demands, he announced enhancement of the solatium from Rs 4 lakh to Rs ten lakh and said orders had been issued to provide suitable jobs to the next of the kin of the deceased. He also said concrete houses will be constructed to replace the tiled roof structures in the Dalit settlement.
Sivasubramanian, who had been ‘absconding’ since the mishap, was arrested in Mettupalayam, about 45 km from here, police said adding they were interrogating him.
A portion of the over 15-foot high compound wall, damp due to heavy rains lashing the area for the past few days, came crashing down on the adjoining four tiled-roof houses in the Dalit settlement in Nadur around 5 am on Monday, killing the 17, including ten women and two children.
The arrest of the house owner, absconding since the incident, came amid demands by the locals and some Dalit outfits besides political leaders, including DMK president M K Stalin who visited the bereaved families and alleged officials had failed to act on complaints about stability of the wall.
Police said a case under Indian Penal Code section 304 A (causing death by negligence) had been registered against Sivasubramanian, who runs a textile showroom in Mettupalayam.