A pregnant woman Usha (36), riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by her husband Raja (40), died on the spot after falling off the bike when the couple was allegedly chased and intercepted by a traffic police inspector in suburban Tiruchi on Wednesday night.
Her husband was critically injured in the accident, which occurred at Ganesha Point near Thiruverumbur on the Thanjavur Road.
Following a massive protest by local people that led to blockade of traffic on the Thanjavur Road for several hours, the Inspector Kamaraj was arrested.
Preliminary information available at the time of filing this report suggested that the inspector, during a vehicle check at Thuvakudi, had attempted to stop Raja as he was not wearing a helmet. Raja is believed to have ignored the police team and sped past. Mr. Kamaraj had then given a chase on his two-wheeler and rashly attempted to intercept the couple when the couple lost balance and fell on the road.
Usha, who was three months pregnant, sustained severe bleeding injuries and collapsed on the spot. Raja was admitted to the Government Hospital in Tiruchi in a critical condition.
As news of the accident spread, enraged locals and motorists who had witnessed the incident blocked the road and demanded immediate action against Mr Kamaraj. The standoff lasted for several hours with vehicles piling up to a few kilometres at a stretch on both sides of the national highway. Following this, the police diverted the traffic bound for Thanjavur from Tiruchi along the Pudukottai Road.
When contacted, Tiruchi Collector K. Rajamani told The Hindu that the inspector has been arrested and would be suspended. Senior police officers were doing their best to defuse the situation, he added.
Tiruchi Commissioner of Police A. Amalraj said that a case was being registered against the Inspector and he would be remanded in custody. Police would also register cases against locals who gathered at the scene and damaged police and public vehicles.
Late in the night, the police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the protesting public, who pelted stones as they ran helter-skelter.
