I don’t know his name, but I know his wife’s name is Maliga. They own a store called Maliga Fancy Store in Sithalapakkam. They are a very hardworking family. Their kids run a gas repair shop in the area.

This man was standing before a road divider near the Sithalapakkam Amman Temple when a bike carrying two young boys, around eighteen years of age, came at high speed and rammed into him. One of his legs was fractured, his skull was fractured, and his rib cage was broken too. This incident appears to have happened on the tenth of March; on the 11th, he died.

This incident was reported to us by the owner of Sri Mathi Sweets, who visited my home to deliver some snacks. He says this is not just one isolated incident — many accidents and deaths have been occurring on Sithalapakkam Main Road. The same sentiment has been echoed by the owner of Ranjitham Stores.

I have no idea whether the two boys who caused the death were caught. They should be tried and sentenced to several years in jail for reckless driving and killing an innocent man who contributed so much to this community.

Residents say that despite repeated requests, there are almost no speed breakers on Sithalapakkam Main Road. There is one near the government school in Sithalapakkam, and even that, people say, was installed only after prolonged insistence.

It seems the Tamil Nadu government does not even regard the residents of Sithalapakkam as deserving of basic safety. Though we work hard, contribute to the economy, and pay our taxes, we can be killed at any time and no one will bother about it. Another heartbreaking detail — the man’s birthday was on the twenty-third of March. He died just days before it.