Man locks up panchayat office over non-availability of water

Thiruvananthapuram: A man on Tuesday held hostage employees of a panchayat office in Vegannur near here by locking up its gates and standing outside it with a gun strapped to his waist over non-availability of drinking water. The incident occurred at a time when Kerala is witnessing an intense dry spell leading to shrinking of streams and rivers and drinking water shortages in some areas.

Sporting sunglasses to beat the heat and an air gun (according to the police) strapped to his waist, 33-year-old Murugan locked the main gate of the panchayat office and stood outside it in protest against non-availability of drinking water to him despite several complaints.

Visuals of the incident were aired on TV channels and in them he was seen saying, "why is there a panchayat here if one cannot even get drinking water? Why do we need such a panchayat?" Not just panchayat office employees, even some members of the general public were also stuck inside its premises as a result of his actions, police said.

An officer of Balaramapuram police station said that 33-year-old Murugan was later taken into custody and the panchayat gate was unlocked. However, his arrest has not yet been recorded, the officer added.

The officer also said that while Murugan was protesting against non-availability of drinking water despite several complaints to the panchayat, he also appeared to be having some mental problems. The police also said that the weapon he carried was an airgun. (PTI)