The owner of a kiosk flattened by the CRPF truck tries to repair the structure on Monday. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Police have lodged a complaint against Selva Raj, a driver in 3rd Signal Battalion of CRPF who drove a truck through 15 kiosks near Nayapatty market in a fit of rage on Sunday afternoon.

The police officers have also written to the CRPF authorities providing details of the incident. A paramilitary force spokesman said the possibility of a mechanical fault in the truck cannot be ruled out.

According to witnesses, the drunk jawan had tried to tease women near the market, on the road leading to New Town from Salt Lake. When the wife of a shopkeeper protested and asked him to leave the spot, the man in uniform kicked her and then flattened the kiosks.

“We have to take permission from the CRPF authorities to take action against the driver. We are waiting for their reply and gathering circumstantial evidence,” said a senior police officer on Monday.

Officers of Bidhannagar (East) police station visited the spot and spoke to the traders. They also collected evidence, including broken pieces of the licence plate of the water tanker that Selva Raj was driving.

The CRPF authorities have suspended Selva Raj and four other jawans for dereliction of duty. The four had allowed Selva Raj to leave the battalion enclave, about 1.5 km from the market, without an escort vehicle, which is against the norms.

According to the CRPF authorities, further steps against the jawan will be taken only after the departmental probe is completed.

“We have taken action against our personnel based on prima facie evidence. Once our inquiry is over, we will decide how to dispose of the police letter. We are trying to find out if the truck developed a mechanical problem,” said A.K. Singh, a spokesperson for the CRPF.

Another senior officer of the CRPF, however, said that if found guilty, the driver would be handed over to the police. He would also have to face departmental punishment.

The shop-owners want compensation. “The law will take its own course. But we need to start our business afresh and for that, we need money. The CRPF must compensate us for the loss caused by their jawan,” said Mukunda Dhali, the husband of Sushma, who stood up to Selva Raj.