Cops Cleaned Up Accident Site to Shield Collector

Cops Cleaned Up Accident Site to Shield Collector, Claims DMK

By J Shanmugha Sundaram

Published: 24th March 2015 06:00 AM

VELLORE: The DMK leader and Katpadi MLA, Durai Murugan, alleged that the police department is attempting to protect the Vellore Collector R Nanthagopal, from being charged for Sunday’s late-night accident, which claimed the life of a 23 year-old youth and left another youth with serious injuries at Sevur.

After staging a ‘road roko’ along the Vellore-Katpadi Road at the Chittoor Bus Stand, Durai Murugan told Express that “the police department is bending rules and regulations, which should be followed in such accident cases,in a bid to save the Collector.”

A policeman carrying a detached wheel of the scooter, which was involved in the accident, near Sevur on Sunday | s dinesh

Contrary to what was reported on Sunday, the DMK leader, citing eye-witnesses, alleged, “The Collector was behind the wheels of the speeding car that hit the two-wheeler driven by Raj Kumar with his friend Udhya Suriyan riding the pillion.”

Murugan alleged that the Collector was heading towards Vellore after attending a cocktail party in a club in Karnampattu.

Raj Kumar, son of panchayat president of Karnampattu Valarmathi Kasinathan, and his friend Udhaya Suriyan were heading towards Sevur on Kumar’s two-wheeler, while the Collector’s car was coming from the opposite direction.

“The accident occurred on the left side of the road towards Sevur. This clearly indicates that the Collector’s car had veered towards the right and hit the two-wheeler. When I visited the site of the accident around 11 pm on Sunday, there was no physical evidence of an accident,” said the former minister.

The former minister added, “To cover up facts, the police took immense precaution and cleared all evidence of the accident within 20 to 30 minutes.”

The villagers of Sevur alleged that police personnel removed all broken parts of the two-wheeler and ferried it away in an auto. The Collector’s car had also been driven away from the site of the accident.

“As per rules, a brake-inspector and Traffic Police personnel should inspect the site of the accident and inspect the vehicles involved in the accident. They have to mark the accident spot. But everything was overlooked in this case,” he said.

He also alleged that the Collector, who is also the district magistrate, instead of helping the accident victims, fled from the site of the accident in another vehicle.

Superintendent of Police of Vellore P K Senthil Kumari told Express that a case has been registered under section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 337 (causing hurt by endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 (A) (causing death by negligence) of IPC in Katpadi Station.

When asked whether the Collector was driving the car, the SP said, “It is under investigation” .