Cab driver ends life accusing police of 'harassment,' probe

A taxi driver's selfie video before he ended his life accusing police of harrasing him and citing it as the reason for his suicide surfaced in social media days after his death, prompting the authorities to initiate a probe.

Chennai Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan, however, told PTI Thursday that a senior officer has been appointed to look into the claims made in the video and report within a week.

In the nearly four-minute video, mid-aged Rajesh Murthy before he killed himself last week by falling in front of a train here accused Chennai police officers of harassing and abusing him on flimsy grounds on various occasions.

"Police verbally abused me in the presence of a woman customer (occupant) when I had parked my vehicle in parking zone. Yesterday when I sleeping inside my car, parked on service road, the police tried to lock and tow away my car and demanded money," Murthy said.

According to a senior official in the government railway police, Murthy allegedly committed suicide near suburban Maraimalai Nagar railway station.

Aged around 25, Murthy is a cab driver attached to a taxi aggregator.

Elaborating on the ordeals faced by cab drivers, he said, "we are making a livelihood despite several hardships. Chennai police is responsible for my death, none else."
The commissioner said, "We have ordered an inquiry as we do not know the veracity of the claim. Even from his own statement, that did not warrant committing suicide. From whatever he said, it could have been reported to any of us and we would have taken action."