I lost my daughter to the banner culture: father

AIADMK functionary booked; tanker driver remanded

Caught on camera: A video grab showing the speeding water tanker that ran over Subasri after the banner fell on her

“She was my only daughter and we have lost her now. She was like a tree to us. The tree is uprooted now. This should not happen to any family,” said Ravi, father of Subasri, who died in a tragic road accident on Thursday.

“I lost my daughter due to the banner culture. The banner collapsed on her and she fell. The tanker lorry ran over her and she died on the spot,” he added.

Subasri was riding her two-wheeler on the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road in Pallikaranai, on her way back home on Thursday afternoon, when the banner erected by C. Jayagopal, an AIADMK functionary, for his son’s wedding, fell on her.

On Friday, the Pallikaranai police booked a case against Mr. Jayagopal, a former AIADMK councillor, under the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act of 1959.

Rash driving

The city traffic police produced the driver of the private tanker before a court, and remanded him in judicial custody.

He was booked for rash and negligent driving causing death.

“Lorry drivers drive very fast. The traffic police should control them. People are saying that if the lorry driver had slowed his vehicle, my daughter would have escaped,” said Mr. Ravi.

Saranya, Subasri’s classmate, said: “I was travelling in a share auto on the same road. The lorry was being driven very fast. When I passed by the road seconds after the accident, I did not realise that Subasri was killed. Only after reaching home, I learnt from the TV about her death. I was shocked.” A pall of gloom descended upon Bhavani Nagar, Nemilicheri, where Subasri’s house is located. Her colleagues, her father’s colleagues, relatives and neighbours were seen visiting the house.

CCTV camera footage that showed the banner falling on the 22-year-old went viral on social media platforms on Friday. After the banner fell on her, the tanker is seen moving forward in full speed.

Another video shows a few youth taking her body in a minivan to a hospital.

Soon after the accident, AIADMK cadre removed hoardings from the median. Based on a complaint from Corporation authorities, the Pallikaranai police registered a case against persons who put up the banners.

Traffic investigation personnel booked a case against Mr. Jayagopal under Sections 304 A, 336 and 279 of the IPC.