Traffic police raise funds for education of deceased cop’s kids

The policemen took the initiative after they came to know about the family’s plight through a private school driver, who has been offering free rides for the deceased policeman’s children. Giri Gregory, who was a head constable in Railway Police, died of heart attack while he was at work near Chennai Central railway station on June 1, which left his wife Vanathammal to fend for her two children.

Arumugam, who works as a driver in Velammal school in Tirumangalam, came to know that Vanathammal was struggling to pay school fees for her daughter and son who are in Class 6 and Class 3 students of the school respectively. Even as he offered to give them free rides on his vehicle, he also informed Tirumangalam traffic police about the plight of Vanathammal.

Traffic Enforcement Wing inspector Edison Santhakumar of Tirumangalam immediately spoke to the school management and requested them to reduce the fee for the two children. The school too obliged and reduced Rs 10,000 from each of their annual fees. Based on the inspector’s request to his friends, two Rotarians - Murugesh and Hridhya Mujesh - came forward to fund the kids› education this year. A demand draft for about Rs 40,000 was handed over to Vanathammal.  

Speaking to DT Next, officers at Tirumangalam traffic police were hopeful that well-wishers would come forward to take care of the children’s education needs in the coming years.