On 12 September, a young techie in Chennai met with a gruesome death immediately after an illegal banner fell on her, on the busy Thoraipakkam- Pallavaram road. As anger swept through the state over her fate, in Coimbatore, 32-year-old Revathy could only feel numb with grief as television channels played out 23-year-old Subashri’s final moments.
Revathy lost her brother in 2017 in a similar accident, where the 32-year-old victim Raghupathy allegedly crashed into an illegal AIADMK hoarding and then came under a truck. Two years since the young engineer’s death, his sister says that it is only the public that can herald change.
“Lawful action against those involved is necessary but for larger change people need to have a re-look at their mindset,” says Revathy. “It is not about a single party being responsible for the accident because irrespective of the government in power, these incidents continue,” she adds.