VILLUPURAM: A class VIII boy drowned after falling into a newly constructed water tank in Raja Desingu Higher Secondary School premises on Wednesday. Police have arrested the contractor, in-charge of construction of a building in the premises, and his manager in connection with the death.
According to police, S Kumari of Melarungunam village near Gingee was a widow and she worked as a noon-meal worker in a government school. Her son S Sivaraman (13), the deceased, walked to school daily and often reached very early.
Meanwhile, a new school building was under construction in the premises and the works were underway with `1.6 crore assistance from NABARD. Near to the site, a 10-foot deep water tank was built and students too would collect water from it at times. On Wednesday, Sivaraman reached the school around 7.40 am. He went to the water tank and attempted to collect water in a plastic vessel. Suddenly he slipped and fell into the tank.
In some time, other students, who spotted Sivaraman’s body in the tank, immediately alerted the teachers. Based on the information, Gingee police reached the spot. They sent the body to the Government Medical College at Mundiampakkam for an autopsy after recovering it. District SP S Jeyakumar also came to the spot and conducted inquiries.
In the evening, police arrested Murugesan, who is a government contractor and resident of Sithathur. Allegedly, he was an active member of the ruling party. Murugesan’s manager Jayaraman was also arrested for keeping the tank open within school premises. Source said Murugesan’s wife Ambhika was a former panchayat union counsellor.