Drunk MVD Inspector Caught By Alert Citizens, Handed Over To Police [Video]
Officials of the Motor Vehicle Department are entrusted with enforcing road, traffic, and motor vehicle laws in the concerned state. But what if the enforcement agency or its officials end up breaking the laws themselves? Well, one such incident happened in Kerala’s Kochi, recently. An Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector (AMVI) was suspended by the Transport Commissioner after he was found drunk and causing inconvenience to the public. The AMVI was first booked for drunk driving. The larger disciplinary action followed.
The officer, identified as Binu N S, serves as the AMVI at the Kakkanad Regional Transport Office. The incident occurred near Vazhakkala junction, at around 10pm. Binu arrived at the scene in his car and parked it nearby. A couple was transferring fish from an autorickshaw to their roadside vending stall.
The officer went to them and asked about the ownership details of the autorickshaw. The lady said that her husband is the owner. The officer allegedly told them that it was illegal for them to use an autorickshaw to transport cargo (the fish in this case). He added that the couple would have to pay a fine for the same.
The AMVI was, however, visibly drunk. The couple tried to explain their part and were soon joined by people around. All of them understood that the MVD official was drunk and soon informed the police about the situation.
Furthermore, the official did not have his uniform on at the time of the incident, and was wearing plain clothes. The confrontation escalated in no time, and residents made sure that the official had no way to flee.
Thrikkakkara police soon showed up at the scene. The residents strongly insisted that they do a breath analyzer test on the accused. The cops yielded and confirmed that the MVD official was in an intoxicated state. He was then taken into custody for drunk driving and violating the service code of conduct.
He was later taken to the Thrippunithura Taluk Hospital for a detailed medical examination and blood sample collection. The hospital soon issued a drunkenness certificate, and charges, including rash driving and drunk driving, have been imposed on him.
A video report by Manorama News says that the MV department did not have knowledge of the ‘enforcement action’ that the accused tried to perform. More details around this case are expected to surface in the upcoming days.
The very next day, Transport Commissioner C.H. Nagaraju suspended Binu, calling it a violation of the service code of conduct. An inquiry has also been initiated against him. This incident clearly shows how power can be misused. It remains to be seen how the South Indian state’s Motor Vehicle Department will handle the situation and do damage control. We hope to learn more details of this case in the coming days.
In an anti-corruption drive held in July this year, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had unearthed a chain of bribery and corruption at various RT Offices in Kerala. Named 'Operation Clean Wheels', the drive exposed officials who took bribes from middlemen and agents.
Most of these transactions were made through Google Pay. The total sum amounted to over Rs 7,84,598. In addition to this, Rs 1.4 lakh was seized from various agents as well.
Simultaneous raids were conducted at 81 RT offices (17 RTOs and 64 Sub-Regional Transport Offices (SRTOs)) at around 4:30 pm. At least 11 ‘suspected intermediates’ were detained as well.