Namakkal student’s 1,300-km trek home ends midway

Hyderabad: A 23-year-old student from Namakkal pursuing food processing course in Wardha, Maharashtra, travelled nine days, taking different modes of transport to cover nearly 1,300 km to reach his home town, but his trek ended midway, tragically at a function hall in Secunderabad late on Wednesday night.
Quoting forensic experts , police said on Thursday he died of heart attack.
B Logesh, a native of Namakkal, was pursuing food processing course at a Wardha college. After the lockdown was announced on March 24, Logesh and 29 other students set off on foot to reach their respective native places. He was nearly 1,300-km away from home but was determined to achieve it. After their nine-day journey and covering over 450km, they reached Secunderabad on Wednesday.
“On Wednesday night, they were spotted near Bowenpally market yard by revenue and police staff. Apart from walking for long hours, they took different modes of transport in the last nine days. When they enquired about the group, the students told the officials that they were on their way to their respective homes,’’ Marredpally inspector Mattaiah said.
After they were informed that they would not be permitted to leave the city due to the prevailing lockdown, the students were shifted to a function hall at Marredpally, where they were provided food and accommodation.
“Àfter having food, some of the students were chatting, sitting on the floor at the function hall. Logesh suddenly collapsed. He was shifted to a local government hospital, where he was declared brought dead,’’ police said.
Forensic doctors, according to the post-mortem examination (PME), concluded that the student died of heart attack. Police said that since he was travelling for the last nine days, perhaps, due to dehydration, he might have suffered a heart attack.
The authorities at Secunderabad came to know that relatives of Logesh were living in there and informed them. “His relatives rushed to the hospital and identified him. The body was also handed over them after postmortem. It was the relatives who informed Logesh’s parents here,’’ said Namakkal collector K Megraj. His father Balasubramaniam and relatives had immediately set off to Secunderabad. “I have spoken to government officials in Secunderabad and requested them to take steps to bring the body to Pallipalayam, his native” Megraj said.
To shift the body to Namakkal in Tamil Nadu, the Telangana police had to coordinate with their counterparts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. At one point of time, Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) officials too stepped in to ensure the hassle-free inter-state transport of the body. Police have registered a case under Section 174 (suspicious death) of the CrPC.