Coimbatore: The city police have sent a recommendation to the regional transport office to cancel the driving licence of B Jagadeeshkumar,
36, the driver of AUDI SUV that mowed down six people at Sundarapuram in the city on Wednesday.
Police have also got a medical certificate from the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital to establish that Jagadeeshkumar was drunk while driving the car. He has been arrested and lodged at the Coimbatore central prison.
Meanwhile, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the family members of the deceased.
Jagadeeshkumar, of Shanmugapuram in Coonoor in Nilgiris district, was booked under sections 279, 337, 338 and 304 (ii) of the Indian Penal Code and under sections 183, 184 and 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act.
City police commissioner K Periaiah said Jagadeeshkumar was produced before a government duty doctor on Wednesday, who recorded the driver’s statement admitting that he was under the influence of the alcohol when the accident took place.
Based on the medical certificate issued by the doctor, police invoked section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act against the driver.
However, tests conducted on blood samples of Jagadeeshkumar for alcohol content proved negative.
Periaiah said, “The driver was under the influence of alcohol while driving the car. He was driving at a speed of 100kmph. He knew that he should not drive the car in city limit at maximum speed. He had mowed down six people. So, we have booked him under section 304 (ii) of the IPC and we are collecting CCTV footage from commercial establishments to produce them as evidence against the driver before the court.”
Following the fatal accident, the city traffic police placed barricades on the Coimbatore -Pollachi Road at Sundarapuram to reduce the speed of the vehicles. Police also booked many vehicles on the stretch for speeding.
“The traffic police are using speed radar gun on the stretch to spot speeding vehicles. They will conduct vehicle check on the stretch for few more days,” he added.
Periaiah visited the accident spot at Sundarapuram on Thursday evening and discussed with the officials from the highways department and the regional transport officials. Police requested the highways department officials to lay rumble strips on the road to reduce the speed of the vehicles.
