Constable collapses during I-Day event in Chennai; dies

CHENNAI: A 53-year-old police constable attached to the Police Band died after collapsing during the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the State Secretariat in Chennai on Saturday.

The deceased was identified as A Dharmaraj (53), attached to the Avadi Battalion. He resided at the New Police Quarters in SM Nagar, Avadi. Police sources said that Dharmaraj was part of the Avadi band contingent deployed for the Independence Day celebrations.

Around 8.15 am, he complained of severe chest pain and collapsed on the premises. An ambulance rushed him to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he was admitted. Dharmaraj succumbed later in the day without responding to treatment, police said.

After the postmortem, his mortal remains were taken to the Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion campus in Avadi, where senior officers and colleagues paid their last respects. The body was later taken to his native village in Thoothukudi district, where the last rites will be held on Sunday.