A 19-year-old college student died in Coimbatore district on Thursday, after she was forced to jump off the second floor of the private educational institute during a disaster preparedness drill. Logeswari, a second year BBA student at the Kalaimagal College of Arts and Science was made to sit on the ledge of the second floor, while other students from the college waited below with a safety net.
In a shocking video that has emerged of the incident, an unidentified person can be seen pushing the second year student off a ledge even as she resists. The girl is clearly not ready to jump but is still given a push from the back. Her head then hits the sun shade on the first floor before falling on to safety net that her college mates were holding for her. (TNM has blurred this portion of the video).
Terrified classmates who caught her, realised that she had become motionless and rushed her to a Government hospital where she was pronounced dead. She suffered severe injuries to her head and neck. The Kalaimagal College of Arts and Science, according to the police, was preparing students for the steps they must take in case there was a fire.
Several students had already jumped successfully on to the safety net when the drill started at 3pm. The college block where the training was conducted had three floors and students were jumping off the second floor. A total of 20 students were part of the training which was announced 45 days back.
"A group from Chennai was conducting the training. They have done the same drill in several other colleges for the past five years," says the investigating official. "Several of them did it before her and nothing happened to them. This was an accident," he adds.
The police have filed a case under section 304(a) for causing death by negligence. The trainer Tr Arumugam has been remanded in for the death of the student, the investigating officer says. When asked if action will be taken against the college, the police claim that further investigation is required in the matter.
Logeswari is originally from Alandurai and her parents rushed to the hospital after being informed about the incident.