People scoffing at speeding convoys of VIPs had reason to let their steam out as a jeep in district in-charge minister Krishna Palemar’s convoy ran over a pedestrian at Panambur circle early on Tuesday.
The victim, T Chandrahas Kamblapadavu, 34, was an employee of a transport company and a resident of Buntwal.
While the minister’s car and other vehicles in the convoy had passed the circle, one tail vehicle, a police jeep, fell behind the rest, said K Puttamadaiah, assistant commissioner of police, Panambur sub-division.
At 8.45 am, Chandrahas was hurriedly crossing the road to reach his office when the speeding jeep knocked him dead.
Panambur police booked a case against the jeep driver Arun Alva under Section 304(A) for rash and negligent driving resulting in death. Alva was taken into custody.
Reacting to the accident, Palemar said: “Since it was a road accident, I do not know if government compensation could be paid. But I will visit the house of the deceased on Wednesday and arrange for immediate relief. I will also speak to the chief minister on compensation.”
After the accident, local people gathered at Panambur circle and raised slogans against the practice of taking VIPs in speeding convoys without any regard to the other road users.
Chandrahas’s friend Raju Poojary of Benjanapadavu village recounted another incident in 2010 when an escort vehicle of a VIP crippled a farmer for life after hitting his bicycle.
The vehicle then sped ignoring the wounded victim. The incident took place at Kariangala in Buntwal taluk.
Even on narrow interior roads, VIPs travel at high speed along with escort and tail vehicles without any concern for the oncoming vehicles or the pedestrians.
Police personnel are helpless as VIPs tell their drivers to step on the gas.
One of the ace drivers of the police department, on condition of anonymity, said: “On some stretches, we hit 120 kmph. Any sudden braking would result in a pile-up of vehicles. The pressure was too much for me and I asked my senior officers to relieve me from escort duty.”
