Chennai: For those who broke the compulsory helmet rule on Wednesday, it was an ordeal on Thursday. Chargesheeted for not wearing helmet, they had to appear before magistrates in mobile courts with a new helmet, the receipt for its purchase and license. Wednesday they were asked to surrender their license. The hardship was more if they did not have the document too. At a mobile court in Velachery, sulking, angry and tired, many bikers complained that the punishment was too harsh. They said they had lost two days work because of the legal procedure they had to go through.
Ashok (name changed) said he would rather pay Rs10,000 on the spot than waste two whole days trying to retrieve his documents. R. Nadeem, one of the motorists, was furious and said, “Yesterday, I was asked to be at the police station at 4 p.m. but the official arrived only at 6 pm. Again, I was asked to come at 9 am on Thursday and I’ve been waiting all day. It is correct to implement the helmet rule, but making us wait like this is also not fair.”
Most people in the crowd echoed Nadeem’s sentiments. Another issue was bringing the receipt with the helmet for bikers who already had helmets. Mr Chandran (name changed) said, “I bought my helmet eight months ago, how do they expect me to have the receipt?”
Many also chose to play the blame game declaring that this was the police personnel’s vendetta against them. Another interesting aspect was that there was not a single woman biker present at the court.
When the traffic police announced they were closing at 1 pm and that the bikers should follow the van to its next destination, several angry people barged into the mobile court to argue with the judicial officer. The magistrate decided to extend the timing of hearing.
1,285 people booked for not using helmet
Police continued their drive against bike riders not using the helmet, despite a court order on Thursday. They booked 1,285 persons and impounded 342 vehicles, when helmet violators were found not carrying original documents of the vehicles. Vehicle records from another 943 people were seized as they were found not wearing helmets. Meanwhile a two-wheeler rider, with his helmet on, died after he was run over by a sewage tanker on the Pallavaram – Thoraipakkam radial road on Thursday.
He was identified as Suresh Joseph, 28, staying in Kishkintha road near Tambaram, a native of Thoothukudi, and employed in a private bank at Taramani. According to police he was traveling to his work place on the Pallavaram – Thoraipakkam radial road when the sewage tanker hit him from behind.
“On impact he was thrown off the road and the tanker ran over him killing him on the spot. He was wearing a helmet but died after the vehicle ran over him,” police said. The tanker driver escaped from the scene immediately after the accident, fearing mob fury.
