Chennai: A 24-year-old man, intimidated by the traffic police for driving two-wheeler under the influence of alcohol, jumped into the Adyar River late on Saturday night. The police and fire service looked for him in the river the whole day on Sunday in vain. His fate remains unknown.
According to sources, traffic police had stopped Radhakrishnan of Besant Nagar on Thiru.Vi.Ka Bridge in Adyar. His friend Suresh of Abhiramapuram was riding pillion. “As Radhakrishnan was said to be driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol, the police asked him to hand over the vehicle and go home. But Radhakrishnan refused to hand over the motorcycle and kept arguing with the cops”.
The police, as per rules, have to seize the vehicle if they found someone drunk and driving. Both sides exchanged words and an infuriated Radhakrishnan ran to the edge of the bridge and jumped into the river before the police could stop him. Immediately, Adyar police and fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search for the youngster in vain.
The police resumed the search on Sunday morning and could not find Radhakrishnan dead or alive. “We searched until Sunday night, but we are unable to find him,” the police said. The police are also under the impression that Radhakrishnan might have waded through the waist-high Adyar water to safety.
Meanwhile, human right activists implored the police to use polite
language to the motorists as the other person may undergo a crisis in his life. “The police are enforcing their authority over common people. They don’t like to be questioned,” Sudha Ramalingam, advocate and human rights activist, said.
She also said that the police should treat the public with dignity. “The police should be given better training in handling public,” she added.
