Kerala: A scooterist dies after being entangled in a police “security” rope

A dispute about the allegedly poor police barricading has arisen in response to the death of a 28-year-old man in Valanjambalam, where his scooter became entangled in a rope strung across the road in anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival.

Manoj Unni, a contract employee of the Kochi corporation, was killed in the accident that happened on Sunday night at Sahodaran Ayyappan Road at around 9:45 p.m.

The PM’s schedule called for Modi to spend the night at the Ernakulam guest home before traveling to Kunnamkulam on Monday morning to speak at an electoral rally. Therefore, between 9 and 11 p.m., the police blocked traffic on SA Road by tying a rope across it.

Manoj dashed past the rope while he was heading to his parents’ Ravipuram home after purchasing medication for his mother. His scooter became entangled in it, causing him to lose control of the car and crash, severely hurting his head.

Manoj was taken to a neighboring private hospital by police officers stationed at Valanjambalam, where he passed away on Monday morning at 1:15 a.m. due to his injuries. After an evening postmortem inspection, the corpse was given to family.

Manoj’s family, however, denied any allegations that he was riding while intoxicated. According to his sister Chippy U M, he was a teetotaller.

“My brother was never a drinker. Not only does he not drink alcohol. Chippy added, “The hospital authorities also confirmed that there was no alcohol content in his blood,” attributing her brother’s death to inadequate barricading.

Manoj Unni, who passed away.
The location where the rope was fastened did not have street lights, according to those who attempted to save Manoj. Additionally, there was no signage warning cars of the roadblock. “I will visit the police station to view the CCTV footage of the incident after cremation,” Chippy added, speculating that Manoj may not have seen the rope in time to use the brakes.

Commissioner S Syamsundar of Kochi refuted any misconduct on the part of the police and said that speeding was the main reason of the accident.

“There were enough police officers stationed along the route to warn vehicles of the impediment. Indeed, the dead was alerted by a few cops, but Syamsundar claimed that his rapid movement caused the disaster.

An investigation has been started by the Ernakulam South police after a complaint was filed. According to the cops, it is unclear whether Manoj was intoxicated. It will only be possible to determine whether or not he was intoxicated after receiving the results of the medical examination and autopsy. After watching CCTV video, we believe that he was riding quickly and didn’t use the brakes in a timely manner. However, more scientific investigation is needed to determine the precise cause of the mishap, an officer said.