What was the fear that forced Tamil Nadu IAS Sagayam spend a night in a graveyard?

U Sagayam, IAS in a graveyard (Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

LAST week, social media sites found an unusual trend: #StandWithSagayam. It’s about a 53-year-old promoted IAS officer in Tamil Nadu, U Sagayam. But what did he do that he became the subject matter of a social media discussion? Once this photo of Sagayam spending a night in a graveyard to "protect evidences” on a multi-crore granite scam in Madurai, went viral in Twitter, a large number of  comments poured in, and many shared this photo as well. It all started on Saturday, when…
the officer asked the local police to exhume bodies of a few victims, who were allegedly killed by a granite quarry operator. But the police did not want to execute the task at night forcing Sagayam to sleep at the graveyard itself located near Melur in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu. The IAS officer, according to reports, suspected that the evidence could be tampered with. After all, influential political leaders are believed to be in hand in gloves with granite mafia in the Madurai region.
A year ago, Madras High Court appointed Sagayam as the court-commissioner to probe the multi-crore granite scam in Madurai. He ordered digging some sites where some persons were allegedly killed as 'human sacrifice' and believed to be buried by quarry owners four years ago, according to a TV report broadcast in ABP Live.
Sagayam was assured by the police that no one would temper with the evidences that night. But he chose to spend the night at the burial ghat till late Sunday morning. In the morning, police acted and four skeletons were exhumed from the burial ground. Those were that of a baby and three men. The bones were sent for forensic tests, according to media reports. In that case, the leads were given by a driver working with a granite export company.
Sagayam had earlier worked as secretary in State Election Commission, collector in Namakkal district, managing director in New Tiruppur Area Development Corporation and a special officer under the state handlooms department. He is known for his anti-graft activities. “Reject bribes, hold your head high”—this is what is written in his office door.
As the collector of the Namakkal district, he posted details of his personal assets—a bank balance of Rs 7,172 and a house in Madurai, jointly owned with his wife, worth Rs 9 lakh —on the district website in 2009, according to a write-up in Wikipedia. That was the time when IAS officers were reluctant to disclose their assets in public domain.
“U Sagayam, IAS slept the whole night at graveyard to prevent probable tampering of evidences. In what country are we living?” someone posted a comment in Twitter.