‘They attacked pregnant technician’: Ambulance driver recounts harrowing attack at AIADMK rally

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Trichy: “They attacked the pregnant woman’s in the ambulance and damaged it… They grabbed and pulled the shawl and kurta she was wearing. She is pregnant.” This is the harrowing account from a 108 ambulance driver who says he and his crew were assaulted by AIADMK volunteers after responding to an emergency call at a public meeting led by Opposition Leader Edappadi Palaniswami in Thuraiyur in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy district on Sunday night. The alleged attack, which has prompted a police investigation, marks the second such controversy to plague the party’s campaign tour in recent weeks, raising alarming questions about the obstruction of emergency services for political reasons.

The driver, who is receiving treatment for chest and arm pain at a government hospital, provided a detailed narrative of the event. He explained that his team was dispatched to the rally near the MSK Hall after a call indicated an attendee had fainted. Instead of being guided to a patient, they were met with immediate hostility. “The people in the meeting did not leave us, asking ‘why did you come? Who called? You have come to disperse our meeting’,” the driver stated. What followed was a physical assault that left both him and his female technical assistant, who is pregnant, injured and seeking medical care.

A Pattern of Hostility Towards Emergency Services

This incident in Trichy is not an isolated one. It follows a nearly identical pattern of behaviour from a few weeks prior, when Edappadi Palaniswami himself toured the Vellore area. During that event, EPS openly accused the government of deliberately sending unmanned ambulances to disrupt his gatherings. In a speech that now seems to have foreshadowed this violence, he instructed his party members to “Note the ambulance number” and “Note who the ambulance driver is,” framing the emergency vehicles as political tools rather than essential services. “If this happens again, the ambulance itself will have to carry the driver as a patient, EPS warned. The Thuraiyur attack appears to be a direct and violent manifestation of this suspicion, where volunteers on the ground took it upon themselves to intercept and assault a crew on a legitimate call.

Police Investigation Underway as Political Condemnation Grows

Following the formal complaint from the ambulance crew, local police have registered a case and are investigating the allegations of assault and damage to property. The crew’s account describes a chaotic scene where their government vehicle was damaged and they were physically prevented from performing their duty. The technical assistant, whose pregnancy was reportedly known to the assailants, suffered neck and shoulder pain after her clothes were pulled. The driver’s testimony—”We who went to save her do not know what the general public is going through. The government should take appropriate action”—highlights the profound sense of betrayal felt by the emergency responders. As the AIADMK continues its “Save Tamil Nadu” tour, this incident has shifted the focus from its political promises to the conduct of its members and the safety of those tasked with saving lives.