Published Sep 10, 2026 | 11:59 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 10, 2026 | 11:59 AM
Photograph of Thenmozhi, a nine-month-pregnant Irular woman, lying on a bed with her abdomen covered by a cloth. (Special Arrangement)
Synopsis: Thenmozhi, a nine-month-pregnant Irular woman, and her newborn died at a wood-cutting worksite in Kanchipuram after she was allegedly prevented from leaving over a ₹20,000 advance. Her husband says he found her and the baby lying in a pool of blood after hearing her screams.
Was the price of the lives of 35-year-old Thenmozhi, an Irular woman who died in Kanchipuram on Tuesday, September 8, and her baby, who was half-delivered, just ₹20,000?
According to her husband, Anandhan, and organisations that have taken up the matter, a ₹20,000 advance from their employer allegedly kept the couple from leaving the worksite to seek medical help when Thenmozhi went into labour.
Anandhan and Thenmozhi had been working for around six months at a wood-cutting site in the Vellaigate area on the Kanchipuram-Arakkonam Road, under firewood trader Arumugam, who belongs to the Vanniyar community.
The family was originally from Singadivakkam in Kanchipuram, an Irular settlement where around 50 Irular families live together in government-built houses.
Before starting the work, the couple took an advance of ₹20,000 from Arumugam. Anandhan says they had not received any wages apart from this amount during the six months they worked there.
The couple lived at the worksite in a tarpaulin shelter arranged by Arumugam. Along with them were their married daughter Kavya and son-in-law Muthu, who also worked there.
The family’s difficulties extended beyond their working conditions. They had recently complained about the quality of the ration rice being supplied to them by Arumugam, alleging it was of poor quality and causing health problems.
After Anandhan raised the issue with Arumugam, the trader allegedly began giving the family ₹100 a day to buy rice. According to the family, however, even that amount was insufficient to afford better-quality rice for four people.
This was at a time when Thenmozhi was in the final stages of her pregnancy. Anandhan had been taking leave from work to accompany her to the hospital for routine pregnancy check-ups.
Five days before Thenmozhi’s death, Arumugam’s son allegedly assaulted and verbally abused Anandhan for frequently taking leave to accompany his pregnant wife to the hospital.
The confrontation, according to the allegations, came just days before Thenmozhi went into labour.
On the afternoon of September 8, Thenmozhi, who was nine months pregnant, developed severe labour pain at the worksite. Anandhan says he wanted to take her to the hospital, but Arumugam allegedly prevented them from leaving, telling them that they could not leave until the ₹20,000 advance was repaid.
With no medical assistance available, Anandhan reportedly applied castor oil to his wife’s abdomen as suggested by Arumugam and went to work. Thenmozhi was left alone in the tarpaulin shelter as she went into labour.
According to Anandhan, he later heard Thenmozhi screaming from the shelter and rushed back to see what had happened. He found her and the baby on the mud floor, with blood spread across the floor. The baby’s body was partly delivered, but both Thenmozhi and the newborn had died.
Later that day, Arumugam allegedly arrived and described the death as a natural one. He reportedly gave Anandhan ₹2,000 and sent Thenmozhi’s body to the Irular settlement in Singadivakkam.
According to DYFI Kanchipuram district secretary Gokul Bharathi, Anandhan also told him that Arumugam allegedly responded to Thenmozhi’s death by telling him that he could marry again and asking him to take the body away and return to work.
The circumstances surrounding Thenmozhi’s death prompted the Makkal Mandram, CPI(M) and DYFI representatives to meet the Kanchipuram district Superintendent of Police on September 9.
The organisations demanded that provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act be invoked, alleging that the circumstances pointed to caste-based exploitation and bonded labour.
The initial case was registered under BNS Section 194 as Crime No. 266/2026.
Following another complaint to the Kanchipuram SP Aravind IPS, a separate case, Crime No. 267/2026, was registered under Section 3(1)(h) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The organisations have also demanded that provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act be included.
The immediate demands raised by the organisations have since been addressed, and people have come forward to receive Thenmozhi’s body.
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(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
