4 girls drowning: Minister hands over solatium to parents

TIRUCHY: A solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the parents of four school girls, who drowned in Cauvery, was handed over by Law Minister S Regupathy in Pudukkottai on Thursday after consoling them.

Minister Regupathy visited the houses of the victims V Sophia (Class 7), R Tamilarasi (Class 8), M Iniya (Class 6) and P Lavanya (Class 6), who lost their lives in the Cauvery in Karur while taking bath on Wednesday. They all were studying in Panchayat Union Middle School Pilipatti and went for a tournament in Tiruchy when the incident happened.

The Minister, who consoled the parents, handed over the cheque of Rs 2 lakh from the state government. Karur MP S Jothimani, Collector Kavitha Ramu and others accompanied him.

Late on Wednesday, the parents refused to receive the bodies from Karur GH claiming that the post-mortem was conducted without informing them. They claimed that the teachers who accompanied the children were lethargic and so they lost their lives. However, the police held talks with the agitating people and clarified their stand and later, they received the bodies at night.

Police arrested teachers Jaya Sahabiyun and Thilakavathi, while Pudukkottai CEO suspended the HM and the two teachers on Wednesday night.