Coimbatore: 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, police said. Sivasubramanian, who had been 'absconding' since the mishap, was arrested in Mettupalayam, about 45 km from here, police said adding they were interrogating him.
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 alleged officials had failed to act on complaints about the 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.
The DMK leader M K Stalin on Tuesday visited the kin of the victims at Nadur village and consoled them. Later speaking to reporters, he claimed despite complaints from the villagers about the stability of the wall, the district collector and officials failed to take action, resulting in the incident, he said.
Condemning the police action against the crowd at the hospital, Stalin said strict action should be taken against those responsible for the "brutal attack" on the villagers.
He also sought increase in the solatium of `4 lakh announced by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and government jobs to the members of families. Meanwhile, nearly 80 members of various organisations were arrested here for attempting to stage a protest seeking the release of 25 people detained on Monday, police said.
