NDMA issues clarification after student dies.
A 19-year-old student died when she jumped off the second floor of a college building here during a disaster management drill, following which a trainer was arrested for allegedly prodding her to take the leap, police said today.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said he has directed the police and the higher education department to take stringent action against those who organised the drill "without obtaining due approval".
He also announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh to the victim's family. In a video of the incident, which went viral, the girl appeared to be reluctant to take the jump even though a net was put up for her safe landing and, it seemed, the trainer was trying to push her, police said.
Lokeshwari, a second-year BBA student, who finally took the jump, hit a sunshade in the first floor, police said. She suffered serious head injuries and died while being taken to a government hospital yesterday, they added. Students also claimed she was not willing to jump. Police said R Arumugam, who claimed to be a trainer of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), was arrested based on a complaint by the student's father and remanded to custody.
However, the NDMA said it was not associated with the drill and that the trainer was not authorised by it to conduct the exercise. "Unfortunate that this incident has happened & we have lost a young life. Our heartfelt condolences to the family," it said. "However, the National Disaster Management Authority wasn't involved in this drill. The trainer wasn't authorized by NDMA to conduct such a drill," it said in a tweet.
Palaniswami condoled the student's death and expressed his sympathies to the family of the deceased. "I have directed officials of the police and the higher education department to take stringent action against those who had imparted the training to the college students without obtaining due approval," he said in a statement. Referring to the arrest of Arumugam, the chief minister said further probe was on.
Palaniswami announced a solatium of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Lokeswari from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (CMPRF).
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