At a time when many two-wheeler riders fail to adhere to the helmet rule, a boy who wore a helmet while riding a bicycle caught the attention of the city police who presented the boy with a brand new bicycle and a helmet.
The gifts handed over by Commissioner of Police J. Loganathan to E. Samiyappan, a Class VI student, coinciding with his birthday on Thursday at the City Police Office, in the presence of a happy parents.
The police noticed the boy riding a bicycle wearing a helmet when they took out a flag march along with para-military personnel at Puthur recently to instil confidence among public in view of the upcoming Assembly elections. As the boy passed through the marching contingent, one of the police officers stopped the boy and spoke to him. The boy disclosed his identity and that of his parents besides the place he resided at Malligaipuram to the police officer and said he was on his way to buy some items for the petty shop being run by his mother.
When asked by the officer as to why he wore a helmet while riding a bicycle, the boy swiftly replied that the police had asked to do so. The boy also replied that he had heard that it was safe to wear a helmet and that he always made it a habit to wear it whenever he ventured out riding a bicycle. Some passers-by took a video of the boy and his reply to the officer and circulated it on social media. Upon coming to know about the boy's act, the Commissioner of Police invited the boy and his parents - Elappan and Kalaiarasi - to the City Police Office on Thursday morning. As it happened to be the birthday of the minor, the police bought a cake and celebrated the birthday.
The Commissioner also presented an appreciation certificate “Narkarunai Veeran” to the boy for setting an example to the public on the importance of wearing a helmet. The boy’s parents told that their son had insisted to them to buy him a helmet and profusely thanked the Commissioner of Police for celebrating his birthday and presenting him with the gifts.
