Abused by police, cab driver commits suicide

A young call taxi driver committed suicide allegedly after policemen on duty at a busy intersection in the city used “filthy language” against him for parking his vehicle on the road while awaiting a customer, in yet another incident of harassment by the men in khaki.

The incident took place on Friday last when Rajesh, working with popular NTL Taxi Service in the city, parked his vehicle near a signal while he was proceeding from Padi to Anna Nagar. Rajesh had recorded a video, which has gone viral on social media, pointing hands at the police for his extreme step before jumping before a train in Maraimalainagar on the outskirts of the city.

The driver’s body was recovered and handed over to his family, but the recording in his phone was discovered only on Wednesday and one of his relatives shared it on social media. DH could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

In the video, Rajesh, who hailed from Arani in Tiruvannamalai district, alleges that the policemen did not even allow him to park the car on the road despite him pleading with them that he was waiting for a customer. “The policemen continued to abuse me despite me telling them that a woman was inside the car and they should not throw abuses at me,” Rajesh said in the video.

In the video which was shot inside the car using a mobile phone, the driver continues to blame the policemen for harassing cab drivers like him demanding money. “This should be the last time that a driver is taking the extreme step due to harassment by police. Hope the Commissioner of Police and the chief minister take serious action against the erring policemen,” the driver said in the video.

Sources in the Chennai Police said an inquiry has been launched into the issue.

This is the second time in a year that a taxi driver has ended his life after a tiff with traffic police. Last year, another driver, R Manikandan, committed suicide after police stopped him for not fastening his seat belt and abused him.