Man And His 7-Year-Old Son Were Killed While Firecrackers Exploding In Tamil Nadu
Update: 2021-11-05 15:15 IST
Kalainesan and his son Pradeesh (left); a screengrab from the CCTV footage of the incident. (Pic Courtesy: Indian Express)
On Thursday afternoon, a father-son scooter pair was slain in Kottakuppam town that whenever a package of countrymade firecrackers they were transporting in a gunny bag burst. The blast also wounded three males who were biking near by. The deceased recognised as Kalainesan (37) of Ariyankuppam, was driving with his seven-year-old son Pradeesh to his in-laws' house in Koonimedu, nearby Villupuram. During Diwali celebrations, he had bought fireworks from his hometown.
Kalainesan is observed driving the scooter as his son holds the bag in CCTV footage provided by the police. According to the authorities, the crackers burst nearby Kottakuppam, and both of them were swept from the bike upto to an extent of roughly 10-15 metres.
However, three other motorists who were travelling near Kalainesan's vehicle — Ganesh (45), Syed Ahamed (60), and Viji Anandh (36) — were also seriously injured. They have all been brought to Puducherry's JIPMER Hospital. Villupuram DIG M Pandian and SP N Shreenatha went to the scene and conducted a preliminary investigation.
Kalainesan bought two bags of 'Naattu Pattasu' from Puducherry on November 3 and kept them at his in-laws' house, according to Sreenatha. When the accident occurred on November 4, he had taken one suitcase from Koonimedu and was cycling heading Puducherry. The crackers may have detonated due to friction-induced heat. Police in Koonimedu confiscated a gunny sack of country crackers and filed a specific instance against several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosive Act.
Furthermore, on Thursday, Chennai police filed over 700 cases against citizens who reportedly broke the Madras High Court's Diwali cracker ban by bursting crackers between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Nearly 239 retailers were arrested for breaking the city's cracker store regulations.