Paying heed to the protests and pleas to release Sri Lankan refugees from the special camp, the Tamil Nadu government, has released three inmates of the camp, which is inside the central prison in Trichy, the Times of India news agency reported. 

The state government’s order has in turn raised hopes among the rest of the inmates for their release. 

Following a series of hunger strikes and appeals, a government order was passed to free Maheswaran, 36, Sivaneswaran, 37 and Chandrakumar, 48 from the Trichy camp. 

In fact, the state government ordered for the release of Sureshkumar, 35, a paralytic, but it was stopped since his relatives and friends never came to receive him. 

“As per the government order, the four people at the camp can be released today. Three of them were freed from the camp and allowed to reunite with their family members. However, in the case of Sureshkumar, it can’t be done so. Hope, his relatives or friends will come to pick him up from the camp,” regional special deputy collector S Natarajan told TOI. 

All the four people were at the special camp from 2013 after they were arrested for their alleged involvement in various cases filed under Explosives Act, Passport Act, Foreigners Act and a few section under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in many parts of Tamil Nadu. 

As a measure to curb their movement and prevent them from doing any untoward activities, they were released on bail, however were restricted to live within the special camp in central prison, until the trials in their cases were over. 

Nevertheless, the inmates felt uncomfortable to stay inside the camp and resorted to hunger strike. They also attempted suicide to insist their release. 

Maheswaran and his wife, who visited him at the camp, a few months back, consumed sleeping pills. But they were saved. In another incident, demanding his release, Sureshkumar slit his wrist using a blade in a hunger strike organised by the inmates in October. 

Further, the government also paid heed to the cry of Kumaraguru, 42, a heart patient who needed angioplasty. He was shifted to a special camp in Cheyyaru in Tiruvannamalai district. “Kumaraguru has to undergo angioplasty in Chennai. So, he was shifted to the Cheyyaru camp, which is nearer to Chennai,” said Natarajan. 

Still, there are nine inmates at the camp, who are expecting the order from the state government for their release. (ToI)