By J Shanmugha Sundaram
Published: 21st July 2014 08:18 AM
Last Updated: 21st July 2014 08:18 AM
VELLORE: A 43-year-old head constable attached to the Thakkolam police station was on Sunday mowed down by a sand smuggler, a councillor’s son, when the policeman tried to stop him from smuggling sand from the Kosasthalaiyar riverbed near Purusai village.
The police have launched a manhunt for D Suresh of Thakkolam in connection with the incident. He is the son of 6th ward councillor of Thakkolam panchayat, D Senbagavalli, and DMDK treasurer (Thakkolam unit) Devaraj.
The incident occurred between 7.30 am and 7.45 am on the riverbed when constable
G Kanagaraj tried to pull Suresh from the tractor. Special sub-inspector Rajan and Kanagaraj, acting on a tip-off about illegal mining on the riverbed, rushed to the spot on a two-wheeler. It was their second case of the day. After reaching the spot, the duo waved their hands signaling the youth, who was behind the wheel of the tractor, to stop the vehicle. However, he did not budge and tried to speed up from the riverbed. Immediately, Kanagaraj climbed on to the tractor and collared Suresh in a bid to stop him from escaping.
However, he dodged Kanagaraj and pushed him from the tractor. Kanagaraj fell between the tractor and the trolley loaded with sand and was caught under the rear wheel. “The constable was caught beneath the right rear wheel of the trolley and was crushed. He got up and walked a few steps, before collapsing,” Ranipet Revenue Divisional Officer M Priyadharshini told Express, quoting the only eyewitness Rajan.
Rajan escaped unhurt as he was standing aside, while Suresh sped away in the tractor. He immediately alerted the other policemen in the station. “Kanagaraj was transferred to the Thakkolam station from Banavaram about five months ago,” said the officer.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Vellore Range) R Tamil Chandran and Superintendent of Police of Vellore P Vijayakumar visited the spot and conducted an inquiry. Kanagaraj’s body was shifted to the GH in Arakkonam for autopsy. He is survived by his wife Muthukumari and adopted daughter Mohana, who was studying Class XII. His body was handed over to his family after postmortem late in the evening.
Kanagaraj had joined the police force as a constable in 1997 and served in different stations in Chennai. He was transferred to Banavaram in Vellore in February. From there, he was transferred to Thakkolam before the Parliamentary election.
Jaya orders `10 l compensation to kin
Chennai: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday expressed grief over the death of head constable Kanagaraj, who was killed while attempting to stop illegal sand mining in Thakkolam. “I offer my deepest condolences to the family of head constable Kanagaraj, who was killed while serving with duty consciousness. I have ordered that his family be paid a solatium of `10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s General Relief Fund,” said the Chief Minister.
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