Srinagar — The Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Kashmir on Friday asked police to invoke Section 199A against parents of children indulging in rash driving and stunt biking.
Shahnawaz Bukhari, RTO Kashmir was reacting to the tragic accident in Srinagar city on Thursday, in which two minor students were killed.
He said on Friday that he would write and request the police to invoke Section 199A against the parents for negligence. Bukhari said that Section 199A is a cognizable offence that cannot be compounded at his level, implying that the police must take action.
He expressed confidence in the competence of the police force to invoke Section 199A against erring parents. He said that children driving is a social problem that requires collective responsibility.
“It is crucial for parents to understand the consequences of allowing minors to drive. Our department has always been tough on violators,” he said while emphasising that society must also abide by the law,” he said.
“One accident should be enough to awaken the entire society, but unfortunately yesterday’s is not the first incident involving unlicensed minors,” he added.
“Parents must prevent their children from driving,” the RTO said referring to the six-month imprisonment term for erring parents.
Acting tough on violators, SSP Traffic Srinagar city, Muzafar Ahmad Shah has urged people to stop minors from driving vehicles.
The SSP said that traffic police takes stringent action against violators, seizing vehicles and taking action. He appealed to parents, school teachers and coaching centre management to disallow minor students from using vehicles and scooters.
On social media, the majority of locals held parents accountable for allowing unlicensed, untrained, and unsupervised minors to drive.
In a conscience-shaking accident in Srinagar city, two children driving a scooty were killed in a head-on collision with a Jeep on Thursday. – (IANS)
