RTO Officer Rams Car Due to Low BP, Media Calls it ‘Drunk Driving’

The inspector was under medication and on the day of the incident his BP dropped, following which he lost control.

CLAIM

A video of a Regional Transport Office (RTO) inspector of Bengaluru is doing the rounds on social media with a claim that he was drunk when he crashed his car into an auto-rickshaw.

The same story was also picked up by multiple media organisations who too claimed that the inspector was drunk at the time of the accident.

TRUTH OR FALSE?

The video hasn’t been manipulated in any way but the context with which it is being reported is completely false. The video was shot on 12 September when inspector Manjunath (52) crashed his car into an auto-rickshaw.

The inspector was under medication and on the day of the incident, he felt his blood pressure lowering, eventually losing control of his car.

WHAT WE FOUND OUT?

When we searched with keywords “Bengaluru RTO drunk driving” we came across a report published by The Hindu on 15 September which said that the police conducted an alcometer test on Manjunath but the result was negative.

He was then taken to St. John’s Hospital where a detailed medical test was conducted which confirmed that he was not drunk but under medication. The police said, “report will be submitted in court.”

Another article in Deccan Herald reported that Manjunath had cut short his medical leave and was returning to work on Thursday morning. As per the daily, he felt his blood pressure drop, following which he lost control of his car. Manjunath died on Friday due to cardiac arrest.

Fact checking website Alt News spoke to the traffic police station in Bengaluru who too confirmed that the inspector wasn’t drunk and was suffering from low blood pressure.

However, several media outlets picked up the story and reported that the RTO inspector was drunk at the time of the incident. While Mirror Now updated its story to reflect that the officer was sick and not drunk, the report in Mangalorean continues to reflect the false version.

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