Mangalore: Spot Death in Bike Accident - Police Attitude Angers People
Spoorthi Ullal / Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (BG)
Mangalore, Jun 6: A bike rider was killed on the spot when his two-wheeler collided with a tipper at Kadri here on Wednesday June 6 evening.
The deceased has been identified as Eustuse Mendonca (49), a lift mechanic and resident of Kakkebettu, Kulshekar. He was earlier in Kuwait and had settled down in Mangalore, having set up his own business. He was unmarried.
Significantly, the accident exposed the inefficiency and apathy of the police in an emergency situation.
Shockingly enough, even half an hour after the accident, the body lay at the spot. A police jeep with two policemen came about 20 minutes after the accident, but they too did not touch the body and were reportedly just lingering around, with one of them stationed near the jeep with the tipper driver in it.
The higher police officials also came to the spot, and according to eyewitnesses, they too did not do anything to move the body. Angered by their attitude, the people who had gathered by then demanded to know why the ambulance had not yet reached and why the policemen were not shifting the body.
The police replied that the ambulance was on the way, but there was no sign of it for long. Finally, frustrated with the situation, the victim's brother Arun and his friend lifted the body and started to walk away, and others too joined them.
At that moment, Kankanady traffic police (east) SI Sandesh stopped a pick-up truck and asked the driver to take the body. However, the people's anger shot up at this, and they fired the policeman for not getting police or government vehicle for the task.
Heated arguments followed between the police personnel and the public. The people demanded to know why police couldn't shift the body and why the ambulance had not reached on time.
Finally, the ambulance arrived and the body was taken away.
Speaking to Daijiworld, the driver of the tipper lorry, Mohammed, said that his tipper was transporting mud from Kankanady to Kottara. When asked about the accident, he had nothing to say, and in fact, seemed drunk.
Mohammed was later arrested by the police.