Four deaths on New Years eve, no violators booked

Around 12,000 policemen were deployed to regulate revellers and ensure law and order was being maintained in the city on the New Year’s eve celebrations. According to records, as many as 140 accidents took place, resulting in 112 persons being injured and four killed. However, not a single case of drunken driving was booked, as police sources reveal special instructions had been given to the police personnel not to book cases but to let off 

the offenders after a warning. 

On an average, the traffic cops on Chennai city roads book around 150 people for drunken driving on any weekend and around 300 to 400 cases every day for helmet rule violation. Which is why it comes as a surprise that city cops did not book a single person on the eve of New Year when the violations were at the peak. When contacted, a senior official admitted that they were acting upon ‘special instructions’. 

He said it had been a practice during December 31 in the previous years also as it was not practical for the police to catch hold of all violators and punish them. “We did not want to slap a case on them on the first day of a New Year itself,” the official added. 

However, revellers took advantage of the police department’s liberal stand, and made city roads most unsafe by neither following rules nor taking precautions. All the four victims of road accidents on the New Year’s eve died due to head injuries as none of them were wearing helmets. Sources told this newspaper that majority of the accidents that occurred on Thursday night were results of drunken driving.  

The deceased have been identified as Kaliappan (22), of Puzhal, Roopan Chakravarthi (20), resident of Washermanpet, Aravind (23), of Pulianthope and Sunder Raj (19) of St. Thomas Mount.