CHENNAI: When on Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s orders, Tamil Nadu ministers rushed to the spot of the bus tragedy near Vellore that killed 21 passengers on Tuesday night, they were shocked. Charred bodies of the victims had been packed into black plastic bags and left lined up on the road as policemen were reluctant to carry and put them in the waiting ambulance. So Backward Classes minister T K M Chinnayya and Health minister V S Vijay rolled up their sleeves and started removing the bodies so they could be transported to the hospital.They tried asking the police on the spot to take the bodies to the ambulance, parked a few metres away, but they were reluctant. So Chinnayya lifted one of the bodies with the help of his Personal Security Officer (PSO). Vijay, too, started lifting the bodies.Seeing the ministers in action, galvanised the police and they started towards the ambulance. By then, other ministers had joined Chinnayya in moving the bodies.“First and foremost, we are public servants. It is our duty to help the public round the clock. Amma has give us an opportunity, and we are doing our service,” Chinnayya told Express.The bodies had been retrieved from a deep gorge and packed in plastic bags, but the police were probably repulsed by the odour, Chinnayya said. The longtime AIADMK man says he has helped conduct village funerals and even helped carry bodies of people who had drowned in village ponds.
Comments
0 comment