Refugee creates flutter in Nellai

MADURAI: A man, who entered the Tirunelveli Collectorate on Tuesday, created a flutter as he shattered a glass window at the police outpost guardroom. However, the police personnel on duty brought him under control, sources said.

Inspector of Police M Hariharan after enquiring said the man was a Sri Lankan refugee identified as S Joy aged 35.

He wanted to move back to Sri Lanka and spend his life there. The refugee had earlier approached the Revenue staff and expressed his wish to go back to Sri Lanka.

As he got annoyed over the response, he broke the glass window by his hand and tried to slit his throat with a piece of broken glass, threatening to end his life.

When a couple of police personnel tried to calm him down, a constable Shanmugavel suffered injury on his palm. The refugee was adamant in his demand to return to Sri Lanka and live there. He wanted either to live in Sri Lanka or else get Indian citizenship.

Further enquiries revealed that Joy moved away from the Mandapam refugee camp in 2021 and ‘man missing’ case was filed by the Mandapam police. He migrated from Sri Lanka to a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu when he’s eight, the Inspector said.

Based on a complaint by the injured cop, Palayamkottai police filed a case against the refugee under various Sections and arrested him.