Tamil Nadu wants MoD to look into boy’s death

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Even as the state crime branch CID began the probe into the slaying of the slum kid Dilshan inside the army officers’ quarters near Island Ground on Sunday, the Tamil Nadu government began seriously contemplating seeking the intervention of the defence ministry since the local Army headquarters continued to insist that none within that area were armed.

“The Army officers here are maintaining that there were no weapons inside at that time. Are they trying to say that some unknown man was hiding inside with a gun and shot that poor boy collecting almond fruit? It is obvious that they are trying to protect the assailant for whatever reason. If we do not get proper cooperation, we will have to approach the defence secretary,” a senior officer said.

His anguish is understandable, for, the Army in a press statement expressed “deep regret at the loss of life of 13-year-old Dilshan in the unfortunate incident” but “clarified that there was no armed guard located at the compound at any time.”

The Army’s clarification is clever: there was no armed ‘guard’ at the officers’ quarters in Old Fort Glacis at the time of the incident but that did not mean that there were no armed men, or rather, armed officers inside.

The autopsy report was clear that Dilshan died after a bullet pierced through his head. It appeared that it was midrange shot from a fairly heavy bore weapon.

Dilshan killed by bullet, say doctors after autopsy

Doctors who conducted autopsy on Dilshan allegedly shot dead by an army personnel on Sunday, said the 13-year-old boy had died due to a bullet injury.

Profusely bleeding from the head, Dilshan was rushed to the Government general hospital from the army officers’ quarters near Island Ground around 1.45 pm on Sunday. Despite neurosurgeons trying their best to save him, the boy died around 5.30pm.

“Even though it was a Sunday, since it was a sensational case, doctors were called in immediately and the autopsy was conducted after 7.30 pm. We handed over the body to the family. Since the case is still under enquiry, we are unable to divulge details,” said Dr Pazhani, medical superintendent at the GH.

However, hospital sources claim that the boy’s death was caused by a bullet that pierced through his head.

“There is no doubt about that. Skin samples surrounding the wound have been collected and sent for forensic ballistics to determine the range from which the bullet was fired. There is an entry and exit wound but the bullet was not lodged inside the cavity. The body bore no other injury,” sources said, explaining that forensic ballistics involves analysis of bullets and bullet injuries to determine the range and the type of weapon.

Army officials are tightlipped about the Dilshan death.

“Even friendly army officers are careful in their conversation. They do not want to talk about the incident,” said a state official. However, an army statement said its officers were “in close cooperation” with the local police in the joint investigation “to identify the culprit and bring the individual responsible to justice”.