JC’s report blames traffic cops for cabbie’s suicide

Joint Commissioner (West) B Vijayakumari is said to have identified the errant cops, and after conducting a thorough probe, she has submitted a detailed report to the top brass of the city police, added sources.

M Rajesh, a young call taxi driver, had killed himself by jumping in front of a train, allegedly after being harassed by policemen from the traffic wing. It had set off protests by taxi drivers after a video that he shot on his phone before killing himself went viral, forcing the city police to institute a probe.

According to sources, Joint Commissioner Vijayakumari inquired with about 68 persons, including the traffic police personnel and the woman techie who travelled in Rajesh’s vehicle when he was allegedly abused by police personnel. Following this, the officer has reportedly concluded that the statements that Rajesh made in the self-shot videowere true.

She is also said to have identified the two traffic police personnel who verbally abused Rajesh despite the woman passenger being present at the spot. While senior officers were not available to comment on what action would be initiated against the traffic personnel responsible for Rajesh’s death, call taxi drivers union members met State Minister D Jayakumar on Thursday, urging him to take action against the personnel.

After a barrage of videos flooded social media in which a few lorry and taxi drivers, said to be from Chennai and Madurai, heaped abuses on police personnel while condemning Rajesh’s death, city police are now tracing them. These men are made to apologise, record them and circulate them on social media, sources said.

Meanwhile, the Egmore Railway DSP denied the allegations that the data was formatted by railway police, who were investigating Rajesh’s suicide, as alleged by his friends.