A 13-year-old boy from Chennai died when his schoolmate’s sword pierced his right eye during a fencing practice in Namakkal. The police said that the boy, Baburaj, died of haemorrhage when the sword Nagaraj (15) was using pierced him through the soft portion under his eye. The sword went in about four centimetres, reached the base of his skull and punctured a blood vessel.“It was an unusual accident. If the sword had hit a bony portion on his face, the injury may not have been that fatal. Both the boys were not wearing their masks though they were wearing their thick protective jackets,” said Namakkal Superintendent of Police Y John Nicholson.Nagaraj has been detained under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and would be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act. Both the boys are students of the Chennai-based Velammal Matriculation School and had gone to Namakkal to participate in a state-level fencing competition, in which educational institutions from 21 districts were participating.The mishap occurred on Saturday evening, around 5.30 pm, when the two boys, cheered by three of their friends, were practicing in a classroom at Science College in Namakkal. They were staying at the college hostel during the competition. Immediately after the accident, Baburaj, blood gushing out of his ears, nose and mouth, was rushed to a private hospital. Doctors there advised that he be taken to Salem. But the boy died on the way.Parents of the deceased, who arrived in the town on Sunday, refused to take the body of their son, suspecting foul play. But SP Nicholson assured them that Baburaj had been fatally injured in an accident. “It was sheer negligence on the part of the boys. But, what is mystifying is that the metal ball at the tip of the sword is intact. We are trying to find out how the sword could have pierced the boy’s eye,” said Nicholson.Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Fencing Association Secretary D Nagappan has cautioned those participating in the sport to wear protective gear.
