Youth kills himself, blames traffic police in suicide note

A 23-year-old man in Thane, India, killed himself after being apprehended by traffic police for drink-driving and being asked to appear in court. In a suicide note, he blamed the police for his extreme act, claiming that their insistence on court proceedings would ruin his career.

Thane: Two days after he was apprehended by the traffic police in a drink-and-drive case, a 23-year-old man, who was to appear for the army entrance exams, killed himself. In his suicide note, he alleged that the traffic police’s insistence on taking the matter to court was responsible for his extreme act.

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Manish Utekar, a resident of Wagle Estate in Thane West, was riding ‘triple-seat’ with his friends on July 16 when he was stopped by the traffic police near Kopri in Thane East. Out on a special drive to nab drunk drivers on Gatari (the last day before the month of Shravan when the devout abstain from non-vegetarian food and alcohol), the traffic police booked the youth for riding without a helmet and riding three on a bike. His breathalyser test revealed that he had consumed 176 mg of alcohol, way above the legal blood alcohol level of 100 mg in 100 ml of blood—and, thus, as per rules, he was asked to show up in court.

On July 28, two days after the incident, Utekar hanged himself around 11 am at his Wagle Estate house after his family members had left for their workplaces. He messaged his mother that he was dying by suicide because of “harassment” by the traffic police.

A Shreenagar police station official investigating the matter said, “He killed himself when there was no one at home and mentioned in the note that he was doing so, as he was scared that his career would get ruined. We are investigating the matter and have registered a preliminary Accidental Death Report.”

Vinay Rathod, deputy police commissioner, Thane traffic, said, “Our officer lawfully booked him for three offences and asked him to visit the court. We often conduct drives like this and every offender is booked like this. It is risky for them too to ride in an inebriated state. Our officer who asked him to visit the court also acted as per the rule of law. It is disheartening that he took the extreme step, but what he did was against the law.”

A drunk driving violation is punishable with a fine of ₹10,000 or imprisonment of six months or both. Drunk driving or driving under the influence (DUI) is a criminal offence in India under the Motor Vehicles Act.