Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Apr 19: A video showing protesters using a police officer's official vehicle during a protest meeting held at Sha Garden grounds near Adyar Kannur on April 18, has gone viral on social media and news platforms, prompting a clarification from the Mangaluru city police.
According to the clarification, the assistant commissioner of police (ACP), traffic sub-division, was on traffic bandobast duty and had arrived at the event venue from Padil in his departmental vehicle.
File picture
After reaching the venue, the ACP disembarked and took up his traffic regulation duties near the main entrance. Upon completion of the programme, the ACP intended to return to the city for further duty and instructed his driver to take a U-turn at Adyar Katte via the service road divider.
However, due to barricades placed near Adyar Katte, the vehicle driver, Bairegowda, had to divert the route towards Sahyadri side.
Around 7:30 pm near Adyar Garden, a Tempo Traveller driver, reportedly speeding and driving negligently, hit a 16-year-old boy returning from the programme. The vehicle ran over the boy’s right foot, causing serious injuries and drawing a crowd at the scene.
Two female police personnel who were on duty nearby, along with bystanders and the injured boy’s family, stopped the ACP's vehicle and used it to shift the victim to the hospital for immediate treatment. The injured boy was admitted to a private hospital for medical care.
The Tempo Traveller involved in the accident (bearing number KA 70 9888) and its driver were handed over to Mangaluru South Traffic Police Station by constable Anand. A case has been registered, and investigation is underway.
At the time of the accident, the highway was experiencing heavy traffic due to the ongoing protest. To ensure prompt medical aid during the 'Golden Hour', the two female police staff used the ACP’s vehicle, which was available at the spot, to transport the injured for timely treatment.
The police emphasised that providing emergency medical assistance is among their foremost duties, and the officers on duty acted swiftly and responsibly by assisting the victim and continuing their assigned duties thereafter.