Boy shot dead by sentry at Army cantonment

CHENNAI: In an incident that sent shockwaves across the city, a 13-year-old boy was shot on the head when he trespassed into the restricted Army cantonment near Kamarajar Salai on Sunday. He later died.While the police claimed that he was undergoing treatment at the ICU in the Government General Hospital,  his parents asserted that he had already succumbed to bullet injuries. The tragedy occurred around 2.15 pm, when the victim, K Dilshan, a resident of Indira Nagar near Island Grounds, his friend Sanjay and another boy stepped into the nearby defence residential quarters, a restricted area, on Flagstaff Road, to pluck almonds. Strongly condemning the killing, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said the government had written to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) seeking custody of the jawan. Jayalalithaa said the jawan could have easily figured out that the boy, who tried to climb a tree, was neither an extremist nor a terrorist. “Still, the boy was shot and it is strongly condemnable. No one can accept opening fire,” she said. On her instructions, Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi had written to the GOC seeking custody of the jawan. “I will ensure that legal action is taken against the jawan,” she promised.Angry relatives and residents blocked the road, demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits.