THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, July 17: Post-accident violence in the street is a matter of deep concern, said the DIG of police Palamu range, Y S Ramesh, today.
A bus was set afire in Lesliganj police station limits after it crushed a man to death on Monday.
The very next day i. e. Tuesday a pickup van was torched after it killed 2 school children on the spot in Garhwa Sadar police station limits. The death toll in this accident has gone upto 3 now.
Y S Ramesh said, “These post accident violence in two districts, Palamu and Garhwa, within 24 hours, surely I find them quite grave and need to be probed as to how fast such an eruption to violence after knocking down of humans by vehicles can be contained.”
Referring to the Garhwa road accident, Y S Ramesh said, “Here the mob pelted stones at the police vehicles. Police there have drawn an FIR against the stone pelters.”
About Lesliganj road accident, the DIG said, “It was far brutal. The driver of the bus crushed the forest checkpost.”
Y S Ramesh further said, “I do review of road safety measures every fortnight. The nodal officer in the state, Sanjay Anand Latkar, does it every month.”
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“Every road accident is taken up very seriously at every level. It’s not that it is just a routine. No. We try to find out factors responsible for road accidents like bad road engineering, blind curves overspeeding,” reminded the DIG.
There are multiple agencies that work on each and every road accident in order to find out black spot or spatial pattern for accident distribution.
DIG Y S Ramesh said, “Loss of lives in the street is very tragic. But taking law into hands in sheer rage is most avoidable. Police are there. If people think to approach higher police officials, they are free to do so. But where is this torching of vehicles and pelting stones causing damages to government property and then face long drawn legal action?”
He said, “It’s an irony that good smooth roads see more accidents. Police drivers too when having caps on their heads drive as if they were to defeat speed.”
Y S Ramesh then switched over to the communal ferment at Majhiaon in Garhwa district where he said, “This morning I spoke to the SP Garhwa Deepak Pandey. He told me the situation is well under control. There is an adequate deployment of police force there. Life is pretty normal there. But forces will be there.”
A battery of top officers like divisional commissioner Palamu Balkishun Munda and IG police N K Singh were present when DIG Y S Ramesh was having his chamber cum office inaugurated today.
A priest recited the holy scriptures and a coconut was broken by Ramesh who did it in one go which is considered as a very good omen.
It was a plain inauguration after which the DIG had his interaction with newsmen today. Here Y S Ramesh responded to the queries from the newsmen.
One of the queries was that Palamu police range has a potential drug menace.
Y S Ramesh said, “Cultivation and transportation for drugs are reviewed every month by DG CID Anurag Gupta. It’s a second big problem after naxalism.”
Drug and contrabands are shipped by road and train. Consignment coming from Odisha prefers Tata Muri express train most.
Holy month Sawan is round the corner and prior to it illicit shipment of marijuana swings up. The consumption of Bhaang goes up.
On being reminded that the High Court has taken cognizance of the drug and its menace to which the DIG said, “We are concerned about it. See some days ago alone Latehar had seized 17 kgs of banned items. There were significant seizures of illicit drugs before the Lok Sabha elections.”
Y S Ramesh said, “We remained busy with the Lok Sabha elections. Now our onslaught of drugs will be intense and severe.”
