Scooter rider’s death caused by overspeeding, say police

Victim’s family blames police for lack of diligence

Even as the family of the youngster who was killed after getting entangled in a cordon-off rope tied across the road continued to blame his death on police indifference, the Kochi City police insisted that they had merely followed the security protocol and attributed the accident to overspeeding by the victim.

Manoj Unni, 28, of Vaduthala died at Valanjambalam where a rope was tied across S.A. Road on the lane leading to M.G. Road as part of restricting vehicular traffic ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade passage to the Ernakulam Guest House on Sunday night. The hospital authorities attributed the death to a ruptured trachea, a minor surgery to correct which proved futile.

The police cited the CCTV footage of the accident, which had since emerged, to prove their point. “It clearly shows how the victim was overspeeding and ignored the cops deployed before the rope for traffic diversion. He probably panicked on seeing the police since he did not have a driving licence. The emotional response of the family is understandable, but the police simply followed the security protocol,” said S. Syamsundar, District Police Chief (Kochi City).

The police said the traffic restrictions were in view of the lone wolf suicide attack threat against the Prime Minister. A speeding motorist could possibly pull it off, to restrain which using the rope was the most effective way.

“Since there was a hospital in the neighbourhood, using a barricade was not practical as it could not be easily removed for the movement of ambulances. Mode of traffic restrictions were chosen considering all these aspects. We could not have compromised the security drill in view of the seriousness of the threat,” said Mr. Syamsundar.

However, the victim’s sister said that from the CCTV footage it was clear that her brother had not seen the rope till the last minute, and that the lack of diligence on the part of the police caused the accident. She also expressed doubts about the argument of the police that her brother was overspeeding.

“He was descending the South overbridge and since the road was also deserted, he might have assumed a bit more speed than usual. However, he could not have presumed a rope across the path. In fact, he might not have been even aware of the Prime Minister’s visit and the related traffic restrictions,” said his sister.

She also raised suspicion about reports that her brother was drunk since he, she said, did not have the habit of drinking. “We will wait for the post-mortem report to confirm that. I also wanted to know at what speed he was riding. After considering all these aspects, we will decide the future course of action, including litigation,” she said.