CB-CID to question Army personnel

Forensic personnel at the spot where a 13-year-old boy was allegedly shot by a jawan at the defence enclave in Chennai on Sunday. Photo: V. Ganesan

The Crime Branch CID that is probing the death of 13-year-old Dilson who was shot in the head in the defence residential complex here on Sunday has sought to interrogate some Army personnel suspecting their involvement.

Additional Director General of Police (CB-CID) R. Sekar who inspected the scene of firing on Monday told The Hindu that a formal requisition had been given to the Army authorities seeking to interrogate some suspects.

“We are probing all angles and four special teams have been formed to investigate. The remains of the bullet recovered from the scene have been sent for an analysis by forensic and ballistic experts. Investigators are investigating where the shot came from…we are in the process of gathering all physical and scientific clues,” he said.

According to police sources, the Army authorities confirmed that there was no armed security guard on the premises at the time of firing.

“No weapon was issued to any Army personnel after July 1 and the stock of ammunition was found to be intact,” a senior police official quoted an Army official as saying.

In a statement, the Army authorities expressed regret over the death of Dilson, terming it as an “unfortunate” incident.

The Army was in close cooperation with the local police authorities in the joint investigation to identify the culprit.

Dilson who entered the defence residential complex with a couple of his friends suffered a bullet injury on his head and died. His body was cremated early on Monday and the victim's family and friends demanded stringent action against those responsible for the firing.

Since the Army has reiterated that there was no armed guard in the compound, investigators are looking at the possibility of someone on the campus possessing a weapon with or without a licence.

“There is information that the children who had scaled a wall and entered the campus were warned to leave. The bullet that pierced through Dilson's head hit a wall. It either fell damaging the wall or someone removed the embedded bullet,” the official said, adding that the post-mortem report was awaited.