Victim's kin in dilemma over Govt's offer
N SAYEERAM

CHENNAI, FEBRUARY 9: The grief-stricken family of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) student Hemalatha, who was killed along with two other girls in the bus burning incident in Dharmapuri recently, is in a dilemma over accepting the state government's offer to provide employment to one of Hemalatha's sibling.

A revenue inspector of the area had approached Hemalatha's father R Kesavachandran on Monday to convey the Government's offer. The revenue inspector told Kesavachandran that if they turned down the offer of employment, the Government was willing to provide for the higher studies of his children.

But the family members' predicament is that while they have refused the largess extended by political parties by way of solatium, they feel embarrassed to accept further assistance from the government apart from the Rs two lakh granted by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Of the three sisters and a brother of Hemalatha, Uma Maheswari, the eldest, is doing PhD in microbiology, while Thiripurasundari isstudying MCom in Guru Nanak College. Maheswari is studying in Std VIII. Her only brother Panchatcharan is in Std III.

Though the family does not seem inclined to avail any more assistance, a few well-wishers are trying to persuade Hemalatha's parents to accept the government's offer of employment.

Kesavachandran said the TNAU students accompanied by Vice-Chancellor Dr S Kannaiyan who called on him on Monday after their meeting with the chief minister had offered to institute a trust in memory of the three victims. They also told him that they were planning to name three halls in the university after the departed students.

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