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Helmets made compulsory for police

— Photo:T.Singaravelou

IN THEIR OWN INTEREST: Wearing of helmets has been made compulsory for police personnel in Puducherry.

PUDUCHERRY: The territorial police have made helmet wearing compulsory for its personnel from Thursday after the tragic death of a young Sub-Inspector while on duty in a road accident at Reddichavady on Wednesday.

D. Venketanarayanan (28), joined the force as a constable and was recently elevated to the rank of a Sub-Inspector in India Reserve Battalion (IRB). His two-wheeler collided head-on with a private bus while he was proceeding to Kirumambakkam to inspect an IRB unit. “He died on the spot of severe head injury. But for his head injury, there was no serious damage to his body. Had he worn a helmet, he might have survived,” K. Kishan Kumar, Inspector-General of Police told reporters after a condolence meeting held at the Police Headquarters on Thursday.

In an instant reaction to the tragic event, the IG issued an order to make helmet wearing compulsory for policemen.

In the order, he has warned of strict action against those violating the direction. He described it as “purely a departmental decision.” Traffic policemen having government bikes were provided with helmets, he said, adding that all police stations had been already allotted two helmets each. Asked on the status of the proposal mooted by the traffic police to make helmet wearing mandatory, he said, “it was still pending with the Government.” The police department had proposed several times to the Government to make helmet wearing compulsory in the Union Territory. Even recently, a similar proposal was sent to the Government after a spate of fatal accidents involving two- wheelers.

While 10 to 15 serious head injury cases have been reported at the Government General Hospital in a month on an average, the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research attends to on an average of five cases, according to medical personnel attached to these hospitals.

Around 70 per cent of the fatal accidents involve two-wheeler riders, traffic police say.

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