The Hindu : Front Page : Boy chased by dog falls, dies in hospital

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Monday, Mar 30, 2009
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Boy chased by dog falls, dies in hospital

Special Correspondent

He had come first in standard VI exam
Boy’s eyes harvested for donation

Ashish Arvind

TAMBARAM: In a tragic incident at the staff quarters of Indian Airlines at Meenambakkam on Saturday, an 11-year-old boy, who was chased by an aggressive pet dog, fell from the terrace of a four-storey building and died hours later in a hospital.

Personnel at Meenambakkam police station, where a case has been registered, have arrested a woman in connection with the incident.

Ashish Arvind was the eldest child of an Air Traffic Superintendent with Indian Airlines S.D.Srinivasan and Anjana.

The couple also have a four-year-old daughter. A student of standard VI at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Meenambakkam, the boy received information on Saturday that he had come first in the examination and was promoted to standard VII.

He rushed with a box of chocolates to an adjacent block, where his uncle (his mother’s elder brother) and grandmother were living, to share the good news.

After distributing the sweets, he went to the terrace, where he ran into a German Shepherd dog, whose owner was taking it for a walk. The dog that was not on a leash chased the boy, barking at him.

Ashish continued to run away from the dog and tripped over the wall and fell down.

A section of residents living in the quarters rushed to the spot and took him to a private hospital in Nanganallur, from where he was referred to a specialty hospital in Manapakkam. He succumbed to the injuries around midnight.

His relatives said Ashish had taken part in a special event in his school where students had pledged to donate their eyes. As per his wish and after getting his parents’ consent, his eyes were harvested for donation.

The boy’s mother, Anjana, was inconsolable as only on Saturday, her son was bubbling with joy after receiving the good news about his promotion to standard VII. Her close relatives, neighbours and friends too were in tears when the body was brought home.

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