COIMBATORE: A 10-year-old girl died in Annur in Coimbatore late on Friday after her shawl that got entangled to the wheel of a bike on which she was riding pillion severed her neck, killing her on the spot.
The victim, identified as Dharshana (10), daughter of Subramani from Vadakkalur near Annur, was a Class 5 student of a private school near Annur. As she was ill for the past two days, her mother Vasanthi took her to Annur GH around 6 pm on Friday.
According to police sources, her neighbour, V Vignesh (26), was riding the motorcycle with the child sitting in the middle sandwiched between her mother and Vignesh. After visiting the hospital, they were returning home when her shawl got entangled in the rear wheel of the bike when they were near Ramnagar on Annur-Othimalai road.
“She had wrapped her neck tightly with the shawl to keep herself warm as she was ill. The nylon shawl severed her neck instantly as one end of it that got entangled in the wheel pulled her down while the other end crushed her neck and snapped it,” police said.
As she was tightly sandwiched between her mother and the driver, she did not fall to the ground immediately after the shawl was pulled by the wheel and her neck bore the full pressure. “Perhaps if she had fallen down immediately, she would have survived,” a senior police officer said.
The incident, which happened in full public view, shocked onlookers. “Perhaps if the accident had happened at night, we could suspect some foul-play. But it happened in front of her mother,” a police source said.
“Women wearing shawls, sarees and other such lengthy dress materials must be careful while travelling,” the officer said. The Annur police have registered a case under Sections 279 and 304 (A) of the IPC and a probe is on.