Sajjanar’s post on fatal road accident triggers debate over SBI reference

A social media post by senior IPS officer VC Sajjanar on a fatal road accident in Hyderabad has drawn criticism from users who questioned why the accused motorist's employer, State Bank of India, was identified and its chairman tagged.

Hyderabad: Senior IPS officer VC Sajjanar’s recent post on the fatal Nallakunta road accident has sparked a debate on X, with several users questioning his decision to identify the suspect motorist as an SBI employee and tag the bank’s chairman.

Sajjanar, on November 10, shared CCTV footage of the accident in which a 21-year-old Osmania University engineering student died after falling under an RTC bus. He alleged that SBI employee B.M. Dharmaraju was riding on the wrong-side of the road and said the accused had been arrested.

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The cop had also tagged @SBIChairman and @TheOfficialSBI in his post. However, the SBI reference did not go unquestioned.

A user asked Sajjanar why he had emphasised the accused’s profession, questioning whether the bank had anything to do with the incident. He argued that preventing wrong-side driving was the responsibility of the police.

Another user questioned why the SBI chairman was tagged when the bank was not responsible for managing city traffic. The user also asked how many other road accidents had prompted the commissioner to tag the employers of those involved. Some also questioned whether the profession of the person responsible for the accident was relevant in this context.

Another user pointed out that wrong-side driving was prevalent even on highways and said motorists who followed lane discipline and traffic rules were often treated as exceptions.

The criticism was not limited to the SBI reference. Several users turned the spotlight on traffic enforcement in Hyderabad. They described wrong-side driving as a menace in the twin cities and questioned the effectiveness of traffic policing.

While some users supported strict action against the suspect and called for exemplary punishment, others argued that the incident exposed gaps in traffic enforcement and the need for preventive policing.