On a tragic day in Tirupur, an 8-year-old girl was killed after being hit by a police vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, as reported by the public. The incident sparked public outrage and resulted in disruption of traffic.
Tirupur: Tirupur residents Jayaraj and Rajeswari have a 19-year-old son, Sanjay, and an eight-year-old daughter, Divyadarshini. Jeyaraj is working in a company in Dubai.
While Sanjay is a first-year college student, Divyadarshini is in class 3 at Vijayapuram government school.
When Rajeshwari was bringing Divyadarshini from school as usual this evening, Rajeshwari came on a two-wheeler near a petrol pump in Nalligoundan Pudur area next to Nallur police station. When the vehicle of the Nallur Crime Branch police inspector, who was speeding behind, collided with the vehicle, the two were thrown out.
Divyadarshini was killed on the spot after being hit by a police vehicle.
Rajeshwari received major leg injuries and was promptly taken by ambulance to a nearby private hospital. Seeing the incident, the people of the area detained the police vehicle. Veera Chinnan, a home guard who was in the police vehicle at the time, was drunk and was beaten by the public. When the Nallur police heard about the incident, they retrieved Veera Chinnan and took him to a safe location near the nearby ATM office, and held talks with the public.
The public protested in Tirupur's Kangayam Road, stating that the police were trying to save the officer responsible for the incident.
The public picketing on the Tirupur Kangayam road delayed traffic for more than an hour. Tirupur City Deputy Commissioner of Police Vanitha reached the spot and continued to hold with the public.
The public discovered police officer Veera Chinnan to be under the influence of alcohol. They demanded that a case be filed against him for driving while intoxicated and causing an accident, and that the FIR be given to them. The protest was called off after two hours after the police spoke to the public and said appropriate action would be taken.
Rajeshwari, who had been admitted to a private hospital for further treatment, was transferred to a private hospital in Coimbatore. The body of the girl was taken to the Government Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Sanjeev, Jayaraj and Rajeshwari's eldest son, said he had been informed about the incident after he returned from college. However, his sister's body has not yet been shown to him, and his mother is also gravely hurt. His father is in Dubai, and he does not know what to do. Action should be taken against those responsible for the incident," he said.
When reporters asked the police for an explanation on the incident, they said they would conduct an inquiry and take action without giving any explanation.