There has been an alarming increase in the number of road accidents on National Highway 48 in Kallambella police station limits in Tumakuru. While improved road safety measures are the need of the hour, the police seem to think otherwise.
Giving into the belief by village residents that evil spirits are causing the accidents, the police on Sunday performed ‘shanti puja’ to ward off the spirits.
This has evoked sharp criticism from the public. The incident occurred in Sira taluk, the constituency of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra, who along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had mooted an anti-superstition Bill.
More than 20 people died in road accidents on the Kallambella stretch of the national highway in December 2014. The frequency of accidents has driven village residents to believe that “apparitions of the dead” are causing more accidents. Hence, they demanded that the police perform a puja to the road.
However, Superintendent of Police Raman Gupta denied that a puja to ward off evil spirits took place. “The department has given direction to the police to perform puja and other rituals at their home and not do it officially.”
Mr. Gupta said the Kallambella police had told him that they performed a puja at the entrance of the police station on Friday, which was a weekly practice, and not on Sunday to ward off evil spirits.
