Chennai: Educationist Jeppiaar arrested for college wall collapse

Chennai: Police on Thursday arrested educationist Jeppiaar in connection with an under-construction stadium wall collapse on August 6, which claimed the lives of 10 migrant workers at Sunguvarchatram near here. The outer wall of a stadium being built at Jeppiaar Institute of Technology at Kunnam village collapsed, killing migrant workers employed in the construction work.

Highly placed police sources said the institute had not analysed the soil before it began construction. “Had they done it, the loss of lives could have been averted,” an official said. A case was registered and four persons, Maria Wilson, director of the institute, Aruljayam Ambrose, site engineer, Rajkumar, supervisor, and Sadanandan, manpower agent, were arrested by a police team led by Sriperumpudur DSP V R Gajendra Kumar on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the police team received information that Jeppiaar was under treatment as an inpatient at Dr A Ramachandran’s Diabetes Hospital in Egmore since August 7. DSP Gajendra Kumar and his team rushed there and arrested Jeppiaar at the hospital during the early hours of Thursday. Sriperumbudur Judicial Magistrate Abdul Malik came to the hospital and remanded Jeppiaar in judicial custody for 15 days.

Police on Thursday arrested Jeppiaar in connection with an under-construction stadium wall collapse on Aug 6.

Hospital sources said Jeppiaar was diagnosed with high blood pressure and sugar, besides swelling in the feet. He was shifted to Vellore Central Prison after getting medical opinion on Thursday evening, according to the DSP.

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