On IFS officer’s plaint, Chennai cops book FIR against cab driver

CHENNAI: Chennai police have registered a FIR against an Ola cab driver based on a complaint by an Indian Forest Service officer alleging that the driver hurt him after refusing service.

The officer, Nihar Ranjan, a native of Ranchi in Jharkhand belongs to Tamil Nadu cadre.

Police said that the incident happened on the night of August 19 (Friday) near a hotel on Cathedral Road.

Around 9.30 pm, Nihar Ranjan had booked an Ola taxi from the hotel to reach his residence at TAISHA apartment complex, a gated community housing serving and retired All India Service (AIS) officers in Virugambakkam.

According to his complaint, the driver refused to pick him up from the Hotel and asked him to come to the road. “Despite repeated request, the driver refused to come inside the hotel premise to pick me up. When I reached the taxi, the driver abused me (in local language) and as soon as I was to get into the vehicle, he pushed me and sped the vehicle,” the forest service officer stated in his complaint.

The official further had alleged that the tyres of the vehicle ran over his right foot and the incident was risky and alleged that the driver threatened to finish him off, if he (the official) comes to Virugambakkam.

Teynampet Police registered a FIR on August 22 under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 294 (b) (uttering obscene words), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (2) (Criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Police said that investigation is still under way. The driver against whom the allegations were made could not be reached for comment.