27-year-old dies in Otteri road accident, six protesters held

Amroach Kataria (27) of Perambur, who got married seven months ago, was travelling on his bike to buy grocery when the accident took place. Police said that Kataria was trying to overtake an MTC bus (route number 142) plying between Periyar Nagar and Broadway when the bike skidded and he came under the wheels of the bus. He died on the spot.

Soon after the accident, the residents of the North Town Estate blocked the road in Otteri to mark their protest against a city-based developer, who has been constructing a building at the B&C Mills campus, for dumping debris on the road. “Amroach Kataria’s bike ran over the sludge dumped at the Stephenson Road-Dr Ambedkar College Road junction and it led to his death,” argued the protestors. Despite the residents writing several letters and lodging complaints against the construction firm, there was no action initiated against them, said one of the protesters.

As the protesters refused to disperse, police personnel secured 50 of them, including women. Otteri police said that they have remanded six persons -- Rajiv Kumar Jain, Mahendra Singh, Karun Joshi, Kishore, Vithesh Kumar and Ashwin Jain in connection with the protests.

The Kilpauk traffic investigation wing police registered a case under IPC Section 304 (A) (death caused due to negligent driving and arrested the bus driver. Meanwhile, MTC officials argued that driver has been arrested for no fault of his as the man came under the wheels due to sludge on the road. The Otteri police did not comment whether there would be any action against the firm.