Dilshan, 13, is the second child of Kumar and Kalaivani, a daily bet for the Indira Gandhi Nagar property unit living in Pallavan Salai. After his father got sick, he left school and went to work in a plastic isolation unit. The nearby Army Officer’s dormitory was filled with fruit trees, attracting property units across the road. One Sunday, July 3, 2011, Dilshan and his friends Sanjay, Praveen and Vignesh ventured into the enclave to gather almonds around 1.30 pm, as they waved stones on the almonds and mangoes. His friends suddenly heard the sensation, and to their shock, Deer Hill fell. They ran to their property unit and informed Calevani.
Declare unconscious
Kalaivani and others rushed to the enclave and found Dilshan lying on his head injured. They took him to Autorickshaw to the nearby Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where the doctor on duty in the emergency ward declared him unconscious and at 1.45 pm, the doctor wrote in the accident record that the boy fell a tree from a tree at 1.30 pm near Flagstaff Road, Vlakisburg officials. He noticed two head injuries: one in the left temple and the other in the right temple. When the boy lost consciousness, the doctor recruited the services of a neurosurgeon and conducted a CT scan showing brain damage. The boy died at 5.20 pm despite intense treatment
The news angered residents of property residents surrounding these dormitories. Army authorities began inquiring. Muthuraj, an inspector of the police station of Fort Police, was investigated. In fact, Army guard Karuppusamy said in his testimony that he received instructions from the Army Control Room at about 2 p.m. to not let outsiders enter the dormitory, and when he went there he found a group of people throwing stones.
The autopsy showed that the boy died of shock and bleeding due to a gun injury to the head. Two pieces of metal (one brass/copper, the other lead) were restored from the area, about five feet away from the area, indicating that the revolver was used. The police had no clue about who pulled the trigger.
Initially, the boy was reportedly shot by security officers while climbing a tree to pull out the fruit. However, Army authorities denied the allegation, believing that the armed guards were not stationed in the area.
The Chief Minister’s request
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa considered the incident unacceptable and asked the person who opened the fire to the police. Army Chief General VK Singh warned that if anyone in the army was found suspected of killing, he warned of severe action. The incident caused so much heat between the Army and civilians that the police chief transferred the investigation to a criminal branch on July 4.
CB-CID arrested Colonel K. Ramaraj of Lieutenant Colonel (retired) on July 9, who lives in Flag Staff House Road, Fort St George, OEG official Flag Staff House Road. Although he retired from service on April 30 of that year, he was allowed to occupy the house for three months.
Ramaraj owns a 0.30 Springfield rifle and is assigned to him during service. The license for the rifle expired on March 12, 2008. When officials searched his house after the murder, the weapon was not found.
Police investigations show that on the day Dilshan zoomed the composite wall of the dormitory, while Sanjay stood on the wall and Praveen stood on the sidewalk outside. Retired officers get angry after seeing the boys who went over to warn their boys. He fired from the rifle from his house balcony. Jaya, a family helper who lives in the house of another retired officer in the area, told police that Ramaraj is prone to getting angry and he would chase the boys to zoom the composite wall to pick almonds. She also abolished, and at one point the boys damaged the windshield of his car.
Ramaraj told police he had placed his rifle in Cooum at Napier Bridge and threw unused cartridges into the river near the MLAS hotel. Firefighters recovered them. Reports confirmed that the bullet that killed Dilshan was fired from the rifle.
On August 3, 2011, CB-CID filed a charge against Ramaraj for causing the death of Dilshan in Article 302 (Murder) of the Indian Penal Code, covering up the status of Dilshan with the leaves after being transferred to the hospital and possessing a rifle without a license.
Former Police Director-General R. Sekar, then the Additional Police Director-General (ADGP) of CB-CID, said the case was challenging. “We put our hearts into it, connect the perpetrators to the perpetrators, restore the weapons used, and get the defendants to plead guilty. We ensure the defendants’ conviction.”
The prosecutor inspected 55 witnesses and produced 60 exhibits and 14 material objects. On April 20, 2012, other meeting judges of the Rapid Track Court, R. Radha convicted Ramaraj of murder, concealing evidence and unlicensed pistols. He was sentenced to life assault and demanded payment of Rs 60,000, of which Rs 50,000 were to be paid to Dilson’s mother as compensation.
Appeal rejected
Ramaraj appealed in Madras High Court. In 2013, the bench composed of Justice S. Rajeswaran and Justice PN Prakash dismissed his appeal and concluded that Dilshan died of gunshot wounds, not any other cause, with much less.
However, the judge believes that there is no material that the defendant attempts to cover up the status of Yezi indictment. He was therefore acquitted for Article 201 (inducing the disappearance of the evidence). The High Court confirmed the life imprisonment sentence to Ramaraj.
publishing – April 13, 2025 at 10:39 pm IST
