Angry residents gathered at R.K. Hegde Nagar on Sunday morning after a student from Tanzania allegedly mowed down 55-year-old milk vendor Veluswamy, who was on his morning delivery rounds on a scooter.
The 22-year-old student, who the police say was under the influence of alcohol, was returning from a party when the incident occurred around 5.50 a.m.
Later, passersby and residents, led by the family members of the deceased, blocked the road and prevented the police from clearing the scene until the student was arrested. Kelvin, who is majoring in computer applications in a private college, was returning to his home at Sampigehalli with two friends after a house party. “He was driving rashly and was under the influence of alcohol. We have booked him for drunk driving and causing death due to negligence,” said the inspector of Chikajala traffic police station. According to eyewitness accounts, on impact, the milk vendor was tossed onto the road and sustained severe head injuries.
Passersby immediately alerted the police, but by the time they arrived at the scene, a crowd of angry residents had already blocked the road. Realising that the situation was volatile, police from Chikkajala and Sampigehalli stations rushed to the spot and pacified the protesters, assuring them that action would be taken.
Kelvin has been remanded in judicial custody, while his friends have been detained for questioning.
Police action saved students from mob
The running over of a milk vendor by a Tanzanian student on Sunday morning would have perhaps resulted in mob justice if not for the swift action of the police.
Soon after Kelvin, allegedly inebriated, stopped his car after knocking down Veluswamy at R.K. Hegde Nagar, a mob gathered at the spot. The accused, as well as two of his friends in the car, were confronted by the mob. Chikkajala traffic police, who were informed of the accident, rushed to the spot, while the patrolling vehicle attached to the Sampigehalli police station arrived within minutes to ease the growing tension.
“As soon as we got the information that foreign students were involved, we rushed to the spot and secured the students. This was to ensure their safety and to avoid any untoward incident, as the residents were agitated,” a police officer said.
The police seemed to have learnt lessons from the past, where similar accidents had seen racial attacks as well as mob justice. In March last year, more than seven international students had been assaulted in separate incidents at Byrathi on the outskirts of the city after residents objected to their “rash driving”.
Chikkajala, Byrathi, Soledevanahalli, and Kammanahalli house a large number of international students, and the police have strengthened their outreach to both locals and such students. This includes convening peace meetings, and even appointing a nodal officer to look into the problems. “This was one of the reasons why were able to prevent the situation on Sunday from turning violent,” said a police officer.
