A vehicle that was part of the VIP convoy of the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, when she went to Ahmedabad in December 2012 to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in as Gujarat Chief Minister, was detained by the Rajasthan police on charges of rash and negligent driving. The incident, according to sources, was sought to be kept under wraps all these years.
According to police sources, Jayalalithaa flew to Ahmedabad and used the convoy to drive from the airport to the venue of the function. After the programme, she returned to Chennai by flight.
However, an SUV that was part of her motorcade took a deviation and entered Rajasthan. On December 26, 2012, the vehicle bearing registration number TN-06-G-2200 met with an accident in Chittorgarh district. Documents accessed by The Hindu revealed that the Gangrar police registered a case under Section 279 (rash and negligent driving) of the IPC and detained the vehicle. There was a reference to the Shree Sanwaliyaji Government Hospital in the FIR, which means that somebody was injured in the accident.
Why Rajasthan?
The vehicle was driven by a head constable, in the presence of a Personal Security Officer to the CM in the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police attached to the Security Branch CID of the Tamil Nadu police. There was no mention in the FIR as to why the vehicle took a deviation and entered Rajasthan while other cars in the convoy returned to Chennai.
While the vehicle was detained in the local police station, the Gangrar police filed a chargesheet on April 22, 2013, and the case ended in acquittal on August 29, 2013. A few months later, the vehicle was released in favour of the State police and brought back to Chennai in a truck, since it was not in a motorable condition, sources said.
According to a senior police officer, convoy vehicles travel in a predetermined route and stick to timings as per schedule. Jayalalithaa had another convoy ready on arrival here.
