Helmet rule: Duo held for assaulting AR constable

The incident happened on Wednesday when head constable Narayanan and AR constable Dayanidhi were checking vehicles on Langs Garden Road. As the two men on a bike passed by them without wearing helmet, police personnel flagged them to stop. But during basic inquiry, they reportedly did notrespond properly. Then Narayanan asked the rider to produce his driving licence.

Instead of complying to the direction, the youngsters tried to escape from the spot. When constable Dayanidhi tried to stop them, the pillion rider attacked him, leaving him with bleeding injuries. However, Narayanan secured the duo before they could flee and took them to Egmore police station. They were booked under four different sections and remanded in judicial custody.

A two-wheel rider, who abused police personnel after being stopped for not wearing helmet, was arrested by the Aminjikarai police on Thursday. The action came a day after a clip of the incident had gone viral.

The man, identified as V Joseph Ravindran (53) of Arumbakkam, is said to be a truck driver. He was booked under sections 294(b), 353, 506(2) of the IPC, 129, 177, 201(1) of Motor Vehicles Act, and was remanded to judicial custody.

The incident happened around 6.15 pm on Tuesday when Aminjikarai traffic inspector Kumarintercepted Ravindran near Anna Arch, as both him the pillion rider were not wearing helmets.

The police personnel asked Ravindran to bring the vehicle to the side of the road, but he refused to move from the spot. Police had to control the traffic by allowing other vehicles to move as the signal turned green. A video clip of the incident, which was captured by a passer-by, went viral on social media on Wednesday, as Ravindran escaped the spot after parking his two-wheeler on the middle of the road. Based on a complaint by traffic inspector Kumar, Aminjikarai police registered a case and arrested him.

Whether in uniform or plainclothes, all police personnel should compulsorily wear helmet while riding or travelling pillion on two-wheelers, directed DGP JK Tripathy in an order on Thursday. Quoting the Madras High Court order dated June 28, the DGP has asked all city police Commissioners and Superintendents of Police in districts to ensure that all personnel who are riding two-wheelers compulsorily wear head gear and follow traffic rules. If any violation is noticed, suitable action should be taken against the police personnel who are violating traffic laws, just as it is being done in the case of the public. Earlier, after the High Court held that Home Secretary, DGP, Commissioners and SPs were responsible for the effective implementation of helmet rule, city police Commissioner AK Viswanathan had issued a similar order, asking the traffic police to charge case against the personnel found violating the rule.