A strong aversion to wearing helmet proved fatal to a young pharmacist, who died following a head injury in a road accident in Kuppam in the early hours of Tuesday.
Kishore Kumar (25), hailing from Chintavaram of Nellore district, was living in Beggilipalle village near Kuppam town. He used to work as pharmacist and teach at the PES Medical College on the outskirts of Kuppam. While returning home in the early hours from Kuppam on his two-wheeler, he was knocked down by an unidentified vehicle and died on the spot of head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
On Monday evening, the youth was seen reportedly having an argument with a security guard at the college on being questioned about not wearing a helmet.
A month ago, the Kuppam police asked all educational institutions to issue a circular denying entry of students and staff into the campus if they do not wear helmet. The Principal of PES Medical College issued a circular on August 10, instructing the security guards at the entrance to implement the rule strictly.
During the last several months, Kishore Kumar had been reportedly opposing the helmet-rule, and in recent days allegedly kept entering into a tiff with the local police and even the security men at the college. In the first week of August, Kuppam Circle-Inspector M. Rajasekhar reportedly caught the youth without a helmet and gave him counselling. The youth also signed an oath form that he would adhere to the helmet rule, and other road safety norms. Around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, local villagers spotted Kishore Kumar lying lifeless in a pool of blood next to his bike with a head injury. Ironically, the accident occurred close to a giant hoarding urging people to war helmet, put up by the Kuppam police near PES Medical College.
Kuppam CI Rajasekhar said the youth had been warned several times and had recently signed an oath form that he would follow the rule. He was married and his wife is pregnant.