A shocking case of drunken driving that claimed two lives early on Sunday near the high-security area of India Gate has exposed the laxity in Delhi Police’s movement against drunken driving.
NEW DELHI: A shocking case of drunken driving that claimed two lives early on Sunday near the high-security area of India Gate has exposed the laxity in Delhi Police’s movement against drunken driving.
Sneha Kapur and Aniruddh Rawat (both 22) seated in the back of the Skoda Laura were killed immediately. The driver, Satyajeet Singh (19) and Gaurav Siddique (25), are battling for their lives in the hospital.
In January, Delhi police had launched its crusade against drunken driving to prevent accidents, but by its own admission, the drive has not been “deterrent enough”.
“Increasing number of prosecutions for drunken driving has not deterred the young and affluent, who endanger their lives and those of others just to have a good time. Paying a fine of Rs3,000 is hardly any deterrent for them,” confessed Subhashish Choudhary, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).
However, the good times for merry makers in the capital may soon be cut short if Delhi police are successful in implementing its latest idea. Taking a lead from their counterparts in Mumbai, where driving in an inebriated state could pack you off to jail, Delhi’s cops would soon present a formal request to the city courts, asking them to start imprisoning offenders rather than letting them off with light fines. Though such cases can be tried under section 279, IPC (rash and negligent driving), in which an arrest is imminent, sources in the police say that arrests are rare in these cases.
Qamar Ahmed, joint commissioner (traffic) says this will change. “The India Gate accident is an isolated one and has attracted media attention due to the area. However, we understand that drunken driving needs to be tackled more seriously and we are making all efforts to reign in defaulters,” he said.
Prince Singhal, founder of Campaign Against Drunken Driving (CADD), a decade-old movement, said Sunday’s accident only proves the callousness of the state government and police towards the problem of drunken driving.
“Running jingles on the radio and displaying advertisements against drunken driving will not solve the problem. People who can pay thousands of rupees for drinks can easily pay a fine of Rs3,000. They should be prosecuted sternly and sent behind bars. Drunken driving should be made a non-bailable offence,” said Singhal.
y_puneet@dnaindia.net
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