Watchman dies after inhaling smoke; colleague critical

A watchman of a nearby private engineering college died after inhaling smoke from a small fireplace in the cabin to beat the biting cold, police said.

Police said the man and his colleague lit the fire in the closed cabin and went to sleep.

This morning,a policeman on patrol, who used to sign a log book in the cabin, got no response to repeated knocks and informed his higher-ups. He then broke open the door and found the two watchmen unconscious.

With the help of college staff, they were shifted to the Government Hospital here, where Shanmugam (47) was declared brought dead, police said.
 

The other man, Krishnan (56), is reportedly in a critical condition and was being treated, they said.