Coimbatore Superintendent of Police V. Badrinarayanan on Friday felicitated three police personnel attached to the Valparai station and a journalist of The Hindu for saving an estate worker, who had climbed on top of a high-tension power transmission tower in a tea estate at the hill station on Thursday.
The SP gave away certificates to journalist Wilson Thomas, Sub-Inspector R. Balaganesan, Special SI C. Kalimuthu, and Constable S. Vel.
Mr. Badrinarayanan said the timely intervention and presence of mind of the four persons saved the life of estate worker Veeramani, 58, who climbed the tower in the middle of a tea estate at Iyerpadi near Valparai to protest against disciplinary action taken by the estate management. The worker wanted an official from the Labour Department to come to the spot and settle his grievances.
While Mr. Balaganesan and Mr. Kalimuthu were managing the crowd who had assembled at the bottom of the tower and appealed to the worker to come down, Mr. Vel searched for a person to pose as an official of the Labour Department.
As Mr. Wilson, accompanied by photo journalist M. Periasamy, were heading to Valparai for reporting work, Mr. Vel stopped the car and requested Mr. Wilson to pose as an officer from the Labour Department and stage a negotiation.
The worker, who had climbed the tower around 7.30 a.m., came down around 9 a.m. after he agreed to have a talk with the ‘officer’.
“I stopped a few cars, looking for a person who can pose as an officer. Some of the vehicles passed by and the passengers were either students or youngsters. I stopped the car in which Mr. Wilson was travelling as a last resort. The worker was already exhausted and he would have possibly fallen off the tower if we had not intervened quickly,” Mr. Vel said.
The worker was unable to stand on his own as he came down, and he was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).
