The driver of an army truck was booked by Kolkata Police for “negligent and rash driving” after it veered right for a turn that was not allowed and nearly hit the commissioner’s car in front of Writers’ Buildings in Dalhousie on Tuesday.

Police chief Manoj Verma’s car was immediately behind the army truck and narrowly escaped being hit, CCTV footage released by the police showed. Verma was headed to his office in Lalbazar around 10.30am when the incident took place.

The development comes a day after army personnel dismantled a dais set up by the Trinamool Congress on Mayo Road at the Maidan to protest the BJP’s alleged
“Bengali phobia”.

Kolkata Police’s deputy commissioner (traffic) Yeilwad Shrikant Jagannathrao said: “It was a case of lane violation, negligent and rash driving, and we have initiated legal action based on a complaint to the police station by the traffic police.”

The complaint has been lodged against the driver and not the vehicle.

“The truck belongs to the army and there is a degree of secrecy involved in their vehicles. Let us make it clear that this is not about police versus army but about the safety of commuters in Calcutta,” the officer explained.

Soon after Verma’s car dodged the army vehicle, the officer in charge of the Traffic Guard headquarters on duty ran across the road and stopped the truck.

The vehicle was moved to one side of the busiest intersection in Dalhouise, and the driver was asked to step out along with his colleague.

Officers from Hare Street police station were summoned, and the two army personnel were asked to move to the police station with the truck. They refused and called up superior officers at the Eastern Command headquarters.

Senior police officers said the army truck was moving along the east-bound flank of BBD Bag North Road in front of Writers’ Buildings.

“As it approached the intersection of the road with Old Court House Street adjacent to St Andrew’s Church, the driver veered right,” a senior officer overseeing traffic movement said. “Several cars, including that of the commissioner of police, were behind, and they could have collided with the truck because of the driver’s dangerous driving.”

Senior police officers said the chance of a heavy vehicle missing a smaller car behind it “while taking an unscheduled turn” was high unless the driver was very alert.

The truck driver said he was headed to the passport office and had to take a right turn from the intersection near Writers’ Buildings.

“The truck was moving slowly, and I had to take a right turn to reach the passport office. While taking the turn, the police commissioner’s car passed by. There was no collision,” the army driver said.

The police said the passport office was on Brabourne Road, behind St Andrew’s Church, and not to the right of the road. Officers said that for vehicles coming from the GPO-end, Brabourne Road stands to the left of BBD Bag North Road.

“The driver told us that he wanted to drop off his colleague at the intersection so he could walk down to the passport office. Since there was no scope to wait, he chose to take a right turn,” said an officer. “We still don’t know why he chose to take the right turn.”

As the standoff on moving the vehicle to the Hare Street police station continued, a senior officer of the army’s Eastern Command intervened.

The truck started moving but stopped near Dacers Lane and proceeded to the Eastern Command headquarters. The army officer and others reached the Hare Street police station, where there was a brief interaction with senior officers. The army officer and his team left around 1pm.

A case of dangerous driving under the relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act has been drawn up at the Hare Street police station.

The army in Eastern Command did not issue a formal statement. Senior officers said they would talk to the two army personnel and find out their exact destination.

“The army will start a court of inquiry against the two under the provisions of the Indian Army Act and find out their exact destination with the army vehicle. The two could face punishment under the provisions of the Act if found guilty,” a senior army officer said. “This is standard procedure, and the army will follow a standard timeline.”