The city corporation has started removing the illegal structures laid for the MGR centenary celebrations near the traffic signal at Coimbatore Medical College in the city after it claimed the life of a motorist on Friday night.

According to sources, the deceased was identified as Ragupathi, son of Kandasamy of R G Pudur near Chinniyampalayam. He was working as a software engineer in the U.S. He had come on a short to his native Coimbatore just 10 days ago to get his marriage alliance fixed.

A large number of flex banners are being erected by AIADMK cadre across the city for MGR’s 100th birth anniversary function to be held at V.O.C stadium in the city on December 3. One arc-like structure was being set up by the party cadre by blocking one side of the six-lane road near the Coimbatore Medical College traffic signal in the city.

On Friday night, Ragupathi, who was riding a motorcycle rammed against the wooden structures placed on the side for erection of flex banners in the area as he did not notice them and was hit by an unidentified vehicle coming behind him. He died on the spot and his body was sent to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for post-mortem.

The incident happened when he was returning home from Palani after offering worship at a temple there. He was scheduled to leave for the US on Sunday.

After public and activists raised strong objection to the erection of illegal structures following Ragupathi’s tragic death and lodged a litany of complaints with the City Corporation Commissioner Vijayakarthikeyan, he directed the civic officials to remove those structures. He also said that wooden structures placed for holding the flex were erected without obtaining permission from the Corporation.

DMK MLA N Karthick representing the Singanallur constituency petitioned the Police Commissioner seeking action against the officials and the AIADMK cadre responsible for erecting illegal structures in the city.

Karthick urged the state government to give relief to the victim’s family. He threatened to stage a protest on behalf of the DMK if there was no action on erection of banners which are creating nuisance to the public.

He claimed that police, after the intervention of political parties, have filed an FIR stating it as an accident caused by an unidentified vehicle.

An activist told The Covai Post that since it is a ruling party function, the AIADMK cadre took it for granted and were erecting flex banners without the approval of the civic body. They should be taken to task, he said.