Palghar: Unlicensed teenager drags traffic constable on car bonnet after signaled to stop, arrested

Accused Savesh Jafar Siddique/Hanif Patel

A teenager, driving a car without license, dragged an on-duty traffic constable on his car's bonnet for about 1.5 kilometres after the constable stopped him for jumping a traffic signal. The incident took place at Vasai in Palghar district of Maharashtra on Sunday evening.

The accused, Savesh Jafar Siddique, has been arrested and booked under various charges including attempt to murder and other offences of Indian Penal Code and motor vehicle act. He is a resident of Vasai east.

The traffic constable has sustained injuries in the incident.

Police officials said that constable Somnath Chaudhary stopped Hundai I-20 car bearing registration number UP-32-DJ-7707 for jumping a traffic signal.

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The constable asked the driver to come out and show his driving licence. Instead, the driver accelerated and hit Chaudhary, causing him to fall on the bonnet of the car before being dragged. Chaudhary's associates chased the car that came to a halt due to a traffic jam and caught the driver near Rang Naka.

Sampat Rao Patil, a police official at Vasai police station said that the accused has been arrested and booked under sections 353, 307, 308 of IPC and sections 180, 181(1), 184, 179(1), 239 and 177 of Motor Vehicle Act.

Earlier this month, a traffic head constable was dragged on the bonnet of a car when he signaled the vehicle to stop in Shalimar Bagh, Delhi.

Police said that the constable found an approaching car suspicious and tried to stop the vehicle. However, the driver did not stop and hit him instead. As he fell on the bonnet, he held onto the wiper as the car plied on. He fell on the ground when the car driver hit the brakes after dragging him for a few metres, The Indian Express reported.

The car tried to flee the spot. However, it was chased down by an officer on a motorbike for half an hour and all the occupants were nabbed. It turned out that there were four of them, including the driver, and all were juveniles. (With inputs from agencies)