Fatal mishap leads to GST Road mayhem, SP hurt

A 35-year-old woman, who was riding pillion with her husband, along with their three-year-old daughter, was fatally knocked down by a government bus from behind at around 9.40 pm on Saturday. 

The deceased was identified as Lavanya, wife of Purushothaman of Chathamangalam in Maraimalai Nagar. While she died on the spot, Purushothaman was admitted to hospital with injuries. Their daughter Niveditha, who was thrown off the vehicle, escaped with minor injuries. 

The three were returning home after attending a function at Mahindra City on GST Road when the accident happened. As new about Lavanya’s death spread, scores of friends and relatives of the family, who were at the venue where the victims attended the function, rushed to the accident scene and started protesting.

More than 200 people engaged in a road roko and police struggled to remove them. They blocked both sides of the road resulting in a total traffic chaos. Sources said that the road witnessed more traffic as it was the first week-end after the schools in the city were closed for summer holidays. 

As the protesters sat on the road refused to budge, police held talks with them and promised to take legal action. The agitators demanded to build speed breakers on the highway. However, police said that they can’t promise that because, as a policy, highways can’t have speed breakers.

As the police struggled to remove the agitators, the vehicles started piling up. Stranded motorists and commuters were also annoyed by the protest that continued for hours.  

Senior police officials, including Kancheepuram SP Santhosh Hadimani arrived at the spot to clear the traffic congestion. “The bus commuters and motorists became impatient and were on the verge of clashing with those indulging in road roko. In between some from the agitating crowd started pelting stones. The SP was hit on his head. Despite a bleeding injury, he removed the body from the road and sent it to the Chengalpattu Medical College hospital for an autopsy,” police said. The SP was later admitted to the same hospital. 

Police had to chase away those who indulged in the road roko and arrested 10 people for the violence. They also diverted traffic via ECR and OMR and other minor roads due to heavy traffic jam on GST road.