Chennai: Two city college students riding a scooter and a traffic cop were badly injured in a freak accident involving cops who had jumped in the vehicle’s path in their bid to add one more helmet case to their kitty.
The event, which took place on Kamarajar Salai early on Monday morning, brought to mind the tragic memories of an accident on the KK Nagar- 80 Foot road which left a teen dead in a hot chase by police in a similar traffic violation case on May 9, 2015.
After Monday’s incident, the injured students—Mohit Thakur (19), resident of Choolaimedu and Buvan Gupta (18), resident of Kelly’s, are being treated in a private hospital in Mylapore while the cop, Shyam Wesley Das (33), was shifted to a leading private hospital in Ramapuram from GH.
Police said Mohit, riding a moped with Buvan on his pillion, was speeding towards Gandhi statue from Santhome high road near the Light House, when Reserve Inspector Pandian of Anna Square Traffic Enforcement tried to stop them because Mohit was not wearing helmet, at around 8.30 am. They rode past the RI’s signal to stop and the constable Shyam Wesley Das, attached to the Washermenpet Traffic Investigation, jumped in front of the vehicle and tried to block the path.
In a bid to avoid hitting the cop, Mohit swerved to his left applying sudden brakes, but the cop got entangled with the moped, which dragged all three of them for a few metres before coming to a halt. This enraged fellow motorists and road users who were witnesses to the incident. Four friends of the youngsters were also riding along at that time.
The irked road users blocked the traffic at All India Radio junction near Light House and demanded that action be taken against the cops for their unmindful action, which the protesters claimed to be the primary reason for the accident.
The injured students were rushed to a hospital along Dr Radhakrishnan Salai while the cop was taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH). Senior police officials descended on the spot and talked the protesters to allow resumption of traffic on the busy road during the peak hours. Traffic resumed after a 30-minute disruption.
Mohit, a second year BBA student, was accompanying five other students pursuing visual communication at a private college in Arumbakkam for a photo shoot at Besant Nagar beach to capture the sunrise. After finishing their assignment, the six of them were returning home.
Rahul, a friend of the injured duo who was riding along with them, said it was the action of the cops which led to the accident. “They tried to avoid hitting the cop. They could not control the vehicle when the cop grabbed them and they skidded,” he told the media.
“Mohit usually wears helmet whenever he heads out on a bike, but he forgot it today. He is recovering from shock and has no idea as to how the accident happened,” Mohit’s relative said. Mohit had suffered injuries on his face and ears, Buvan suffered injuries on his face and legs and the constable suffered a major fracture in his right leg.
