Former AIADMK councillor C Jayagopal has been arrested in Krishnagiri in connection with the death of 23-year-old Subhasri due to an illegal hoarding.
Jayagopal had erected a series of flex banners for his son’s wedding along the
Pallikaranai stretch in Chennai. One of the many illegal AIADMK hoardings fell down on Subhasri. She was subsequently thrown off her scooter and run over by a water taker.
Chennai police had named the former Councillor C Jayagopal in the FIR under Section 3 (for placing advertisements on the road illegally) of The Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959 and Section 326 (causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code.
The St Thomas Mount Traffic Investigation police had arrested the truck driver, Manoj, under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC.
Several took to social media to question why there has been a delay in arresting the party member, Jayagopal who had erected the illegal banners in the first place.
The Madras High Court, on Wednesday, had demanded to know how long the police would take to arrest the main accused, Jayagopal, and what action had been taken by the police and the Corporation against those responsible for the girl’s death. .
The observations were made during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation filed by activist Traffic Ramasamy who demanded the police register a case under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC against the concerned officers who “permitted or erected” the banned hoardings, causing a young woman to be ‘murdered’.
The police stated that action had been initiated against the inspectors of St Thomas Mount Traffic police and the Pallikaranai police station.
The ill-fated incident took place at 2:30 pm on Thursday, 12 September. Subhasri was quickly taken to the Chromepet Government Hospital but lost her life within an hour.
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