A 13-year-old boy who strayed into the Army’s southern headquarters’ residential compound here was killed allegedly by a jawan, sparking protests here on Sunday.
The critically injured boy, Dilshan, was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he was later declared dead.
According to eyewitnesses, the boy, son of a labourer, and three of his friends, were trying to enter the Army Officers’ campus to pluck mangoes when the sentry allegedly opened fire. Infuriated residents of Indira Nagar colony and relatives of the boy disrupted vehicular movement for over two hours near Anna Salai. Police later cordoned off the Islands Ground area and resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
When Army sources remained tight-lipped over the incident, police officials said an internal probe has been ordered to find the exact reason for shooting. Police officials also held talks with the Army personnel to defuse tension in the area.
With no word from officials, scores of people visited the hospital and continued their protests there.