The car that smashed through the concrete railing of a bridge in Ultadanga early on Monday had been prosecuted for at least 15 traffic rule violations in Kolkata in the past eight months, police said.
Eight of those cases were for speeding.
According to the police, most cases of speeding by the car — a Tata Nexon — were reported on the AJC Bose Road flyover, between 11 at night and 6 in the morning.
“The traffic violation records clearly suggest that this car has a history of speeding on flyovers and bridges. According to the traffic records, the car has broken the speed limit of 60kmph on the AJC Road flyover at least seven times between July 2023 and December 2023. This suggests a pattern that the driver has a tendency to speed on flyovers and bridges. Altogether 15 cases of traffic violations are pending against this car. The cases were filed over a period of eight months," said an officer of the Kolkata police's traffic department.
The other seven cases are related to violation of the stop-line, traffic signal violation and parking in a wrong way.
The police said it was not clear whether Sheikh Sohaib, the 21-year-old who was at the wheel when the Tata Nexon crashed through the railing on Monday, had been driving every time the car had violated traffic rules in the past.
“The car belongs to his elder brother. It is not clear who was at the wheel every time a violation was reported against the vehicle and an e-challan generated in the Kolkata police area,” said the officer.
Around 1am on Monday, the car was allegedly speeding through a slip bridge in Ultadanga, which connects VIP Road with Salt Lake, when it crashed through the concrete railing and fell on two shanties below.
A father and son, who were sleeping at their home, were trapped inside when the car landed on the roof of their house and the structure collapsed under the weight of the vehicle.
Officers of Maniktala police station have started a case of rash and negligent driving, endangering people’s lives and causing damage to public property.
Sohaib, who was saved by the car’s airbag, suffered head injuries and was taken to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, from where he was discharged after treatment.
“He has been released from the hospital but is yet to be arrested because of his physical condition. We are waiting for him to recover before taking any legal step against him,” said an officer at Maniktala police station.
Police sources said a notice had been sent to the owner of the car under Section 133 of the Motor Vehicles Act, which requires the owner to furnish the driving licence and other details of the person who was at the wheel during the crash.
The owner, who is the elder brother of Sohaib, has been given five days to comply with the order.