A traffic police inspector was shifted to the Armed Reserve wing after a video of him pulling down a traffic constable from a moving bike in Alwarpet went viral on Saturday.
In a parallel development, the constable’s wife has lodged a complaint with the Abhirmapuram police station seeking action against the inspector.
On November 21, Dharuman, a constable attached to the Teynampet traffic enforcement wing, went on a rant over his walkie-talkie.
He claimed that his superior did not grant him leave to attend a ceremony following his mother’s death. She had passed away on November 6 and he had taken a few days’ leave. Following the incident, the constable was placed under suspension.
On Friday, CCTV footage from the C.V. Raman Road junction in Alwarpet went viral on social media. It showed Teynampet traffic police inspector Ravichandran waiting at the junction at 11.44 a.m. on Wednesday. Sometime after Dharuman’s rant, Ravichandran recognised the constable on the bike. The inspector ran to the middle of the road and pulled down Dharuman from the moving bike. The footage showed the bike sliding under a mini-van. Luckily, the constable was not caught under its wheels. The footage also shows the inspector warning Dharuman before bundling him into a police van.
‘Was unnecessary’
On Friday, the two were called for an inquiry and Ravichandran was transferred. The police inspector received flak from the police as well as social media for endangering the life of a colleague.
“The constable was returning after duty hours and would have returned to the station and departmental action could have been taken. There was no need to treat the constable like an accused. Had he died, the issue would have aggravated,” a police officer said. “If this could happen to a policeman, what about the public,” a post on social media read.
“We will conduct an inquiry and take necessary action,” said a senior officer.