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SINGAPORE – Before 2013, Mr Subramani Purushothaman avoided shopping in Little India on Sundays, even though he lives in Block 661 Buffalo Road, less than 100m from Tekka Centre in the district.
The 57-year-old father of three teenagers, who has been living there for about 20 years, said the area was previously packed with workers on Sundays, which made it too noisy and disorderly for his family.
Once, a man knocked on the front door of his four-room flat, which is on the 22nd floor of the 23-floor block. He wanted to use the toilet.
Said Mr Purushothaman, who works as an aerospace machinist: “We didn’t like to go down (from our flat) on Sundays because it was crowded with workers, who were often drunk.
“Now, the situation is controlled. If there are people sitting around drinking, the police will tell them to throw their drinks away in the rubbish bins.”
The turning point came on Dec 8, 2013, when a riot erupted in Race Course Road, about 100m from his block, at about 9.20pm.
It happened after an accident claimed the life of Indian migrant worker Sakthivel Kumaravelu.
The 33-year-old was drunk as he tried to board a private bus in Tekka Lane. As he chased after the bus, he lost his balance and fell face down into the path of the vehicle, which crushed him.
Word of his death spread quickly, and a crowd surrounded the bus and began hitting it.
What followed was a riot that lasted for two hours, during which over $530,000 worth of property was damaged.
In the wake of the violence, restrictions were introduced on where and when alcohol could be drunk. New areas were designated for buses to pick up and drop off foreign workers on Sundays.
A Committee of Inquiry (COI), set up in the aftermath, heard from witnesses such as the chairman of Tekka Residents’ Committee and officers from Rochor Neighbourhood Police Centre.
The witnesses said the area would typically see about 100,000 South Asian workers each Sunday, on the workers’ day off. Saturdays were usually a work day.
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