Chennai: Traffic cop drags prof by collar

CHENNAI: Commuters on Wallajah Road were shocked to see a motorist being dragged into a police station following an argument between him and some traffic policemen on Thursday morning. According to the photographer of a Tamil daily, who witnessed the incident, the man, who came on a two-wheeler, was stopped by traffic policemen near the Triplicane police station for not wearing a helmet.As the cops snatched away his bike keys, the man got off his vehicle, lost balance and fell down, the photographer claimed. Passersby then helped him get up. The man then questioned the cops as to why they did not bother to help him, to which they were said to have abused him.An argument ensued and soon a policeman held the motorist by his collar and dragged him into the Triplicane police station.In the melee, both the policeman and the motorist fell down as the latter tried to free himself from the cop, the photographer said. The photographer, who clicked pictures of the incident, also alleged that the cops attempted to stop him.Police, on the other hand claimed that the man on the two-wheeler, identified as Madheshwaran, a professor, refused to pay fine for not wearing a helmet and hence was taken to the police station by traffic head constable Rajendran.As both walked into the station, the head constable tripped over a concrete ramp and fell, they said and claimed that there was no scuffle.  Triplicane Assistant Commissioner Senthil Kumaran told Express that the professor was warned and let off and no case was registered.  Head constable Rajendran could not be reached for comments.