User reactions: traffic police employees are guilty of the deaths of 7 people

The death of 7 people as a result of a traffic accident has sparked outrage among social media users. Some are calling for punishment for those responsible.

According to media reports, on July 22 in the Abdurakhmon Jomi district of the Khatlon region, a car at high speed veered off the road into the Yavansu River. As a result of the tragedy, seven people died, including three children.

The tragedy occurred when a taxi driver, after lunch or after Friday prayers, picked up “a woman and her daughter-in-law, her small children, one soldier, and his father and set off on the journey.”

In the Facebook group “Akhbor baroi afkor/Information for Reflection,” user Abdullo Temirov writes:

“Traffic police officers in this district stopped the car to check documents. Fearing a fine, the driver did not comply. The traffic police chased after him, and as a result, this tragedy occurred. According to an eyewitness (a person who filmed everything on video), upon seeing this, the traffic police disappeared (from the scene).”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has not yet officially commented on residents’ claims that this tragedy occurred due to the actions of the traffic police. Meanwhile, user Saidakhmad Mirakhmedov is convinced that the traffic police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan are to blame for this tragedy.

“Of course, the driver is at fault. However, the traffic police had no right to pursue the driver if he did not comply. They should have communicated via radio to have the driver detained for noncompliance, and that’s it. In this case, the traffic police are responsible for the accident and the deaths of the passengers,” he writes.

Radio Ozodi, citing an eyewitness from the Abdurakhmon Jomi district, reports that the tragedy occurred after the driver of the vehicle did not comply with the traffic police’s demands and attempted to flee, but “during the chase, the driver lost control and the car crashed into the river.”

The published video shows a group of residents gathered by the river to help pull the victims from the water.

The Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense of Tajikistan reported that the bodies of 4 deceased individuals have been found, and the search for the others continues.

In Tajikistan, traffic police officers are often accused of prioritizing the establishment of roadblocks and collecting bribes over ensuring safety on the country’s roads. Most traffic police officers do not address drivers according to regulations. Some drivers claim that police officers behave as if “all drivers owe them.”