Businessman held day after boy drowns

The owner of the thermocol manufacturing company in Maduravoyal was arrested in connection with the drowning of 12-year-old Praveen Kumar on Saturday. Meanwhile, police resorted to a mild cane-charge after the boy’s relatives blocked Maduravoyal Bypass Road demanding action and compensation.

Police said they arrested company owner Loganathan (40), after Praveen Kumar, son of MTC driver Arumugam, drowned in a recycling water tank there. The boy had gone there with his friends to play when he slipped and fell into tank that was almost 13 feet deep. “We have booked the owner for act of negligence as the boy drowned in the tank containing boiling water that was left open,” said R Sreenivasan, Assistant Commissioner, Koyambedu.

Earlier in the day, close to a 100 relatives and residents of Maduravoyal staged a road roko demanding action, causing a traffic pile-up. Police sources said they had to use mild force to disperse the protestors as they were not ready to leave even after the police assured action.

“We wanted action against the company owner or shut the company down permanently,” a protestor said. Police said they had arrested the owner even before protestors blocked traffic.