Porsche accident kills one in Chennai ~ and its aftermath !

Auto rickshaws are wonders on road ~ they can manoeuvre unimaginably – seemingly fly, criss-cross, could get into a gap where there in none – would ask the sky when you try to catch one; when stopped for a ride, they would either say – ‘very short or very long ~ and yet chose to sit idle in a stand’ – some say they cause most accidents, some hail its drivers as most helpful lot !

Some were taken aback when in  Porsche, the sports car maker announced that the redesigned 2017 Boxster and Cayman models would jettison their six-cylinder engines, a long-time Porsche staple, for turbocharged flat-fours. Dr.-Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche AG is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans. Porsche AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, and is owned by Volkswagen AG. They are very costly, of course.

Vikash Anand (22) is a MRF Formula 1600 champion. The Chennai racer made a comeback in March this year — after a sabbatical that lasted nearly 18 months — with double victories in the MRF 1600 category in the second round of the MMSC FMSCI National Racing Championship. In August, Vikash again secured a double win in the finals, clinching the championship title and also won a ticket to the Mazda Road to Indy. .. .. whole of Chennai and rest of the globe now know him for a different reason. 

The number of drunken driving cases in police records this year is on course to surge past last year's tally. According to police statistics, cases have been registered against at least 32,600 people for drunken driving on the city roads in 2016 until the end of August. Police personnel had booked drunken driving cases against 35,000 people for the whole of 2015.  With almost four more months to go in the year and puja holidays, Diwali and Christmas yet to come, it is likely that the number of drunken driving cases would go up further and even hit the 50,000-mark before December 31, police sources said.

TOI quoting a former Public Prosecutor, reports that the State government's patronage of Tasmac shops is serving as a hindrance to the efforts of law enforcement agencies to bring down the number of drunken driving cases in the city.   Police do conduct surprise check-ups in the nights.  To keep motorists guessing, the cops are also shifting the location of vehicle checkpoints every week. As per the rules, when motorists are caught drunk, they need not pay any fine to the traffic enforcement officer.  They have to leave the vehicle behind and then collect it the next day after paying a penalty in the court.

Sadly on that fateful Monday morning following Tamil Nadu Premier League finals involving Chennai Super gillies and Tuti Patriots, some celebrated in the midnight, hailing the victory.  A Porsche car slammed in parked autos killing one and injuring many others.  Its driver, a law student was fully drunk.  Vikas Vijayanand,  22, has been arrested. At least three more drivers were wounded when, around 3.30 am, he rammed a dozen auto-rickshaws parked in a row at the city's Cathedral Road. One driver, 29-year-old G Arumugam, was killed on the spot. His seven-year-old daughter has been orphaned as she lost her mother recently. "Tough action should be taken against rich people who drink and drive. My brother lost his wife and child recently...now his other child is an orphan," said G Vinayagam, Arumugam's brother. Some of the autos were almost reduced to a crumpled heap with the impact.

Anand killed and injured them,  when he rammed a speeding Porsche into parked autorickshaws early on Monday .The Adyar traffic investigation wing has sent the car for inspection.  The Chennai police have initiated proceedings to suspend racer Vikash Anand's driving licence and have approached the Regional Transport Office for it even as the accused moved the principal sessions court here on Wednesday seeking bail. TOI reports that City public prosecutor M L Jegan appeared before judge G Jaychandran and sought adjournment of the matter till September 29 to file a detailed counter. However, counsel for the accused, advocate B Kumar, requested the case to be posted on Thursday. After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge posted it to September 23.

Vikas, whose competition licence has been revoked by the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India, was reportedly driving the car at 140kmph while returning from a party . While he was negotiating a curve opposite Stella Maris College on Cathedral Road, the vehicle hit a median and swerved to the left. Airbags and the car's superior safety system saved Anand and Charan from the impact, but killed Arumugham, an autodriver. One good note is that upon hearing the news about the tragic accident, Nadigar Sangam general secretary and actor Vishal  stepped in to finance the educational expenses of Manisha (7), daughter of the deceased auto driver Arumugam through his educational trust.

Sad a precious life was lost due to the rich man’s partying, inebriation and driving – life perhaps will never back for the kith and kin of the deceased, and the injured.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

22^nd Sept. 2016.