Civil police officer Sreedath M S, 39, was admitted to hospital with an injury to his left kneecap.
Kochi : A speeding private bus knocked down a traffic police officer near Kerala High Court complex in around 7.30pm on Saturday, days after the court strongly criticised “deadly racing” by private buses.
On Sept 9, the police announced that police clearance certificates and ID cards would be mandatory for bus crews by Sept 15. Details of more than 1,300 private bus employees had been verified, he said.
The police said the bus, Mahatma, was allegedly driven recklessly at high speed from Menaka and hit Sreedath from behind as it turned towards Banerji Road. The high court had criticised Kochi city traffic police for “sleeping at the wheel” amid repeated violent incidents involving bus crews and reckless driving, and orally asked whether punctuality was a licence to kill people on roads. He was managing traffic and fell near the vehicle’s front wheels. The police took driver Aneesh of Kakkanad and the bus into custody and registered an FIR under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The incident came amid protests over private buses speeding after Infopark employee Akshara A was knocked down and killed by a private bus at IMG Junction in Kakkanad on Wednesday. Deputy commissioner of police (law and order) Arun K Pavithran told the court on Friday that the police were introducing QR-code-based smart IDs for every public transport vehicle employee to improve monitoring.