New Year celebrations cost the lives of at least five people and left about 140 people injured on the roads of Chennai following several accidents on the New Year’s Eve. A murder allegedly by four youngsters has also been reported, the man had scolded them for climbing a temple wall.

According to TOI, police said that about 900 road accidents happened between 12AM and 8AM. The five main government hospitals treated 140 people for injuries and private hospitals about 200 cases.

This happened despite 2,500 traffic policemen and 262 check posts and barricades within the city.

Motorists told TOI that policemen were just spectators to the show carried out by drunk motorists who rode recklessly on Anna Salai, Poonamallee High Road and other thoroughfares in the city.

The police officer said that the five dead people were all between 20 and 23 years of age. Two engineering students Reuben Chakravarthy and S. Sundaraj died while driving a motorcycle and lost control. Another person named Naveen also met with an accident when he lost control of his bike, according to TNIE.

Aravindan from Pulianthope died when he was hit by a speeding motorist on the ECR Road. Kaliappan also died due to a road accident.

 Four drunk teenagers of Class XII were climbing the compound wall of the Perumal Koil temple tank in West Saidapet when N Venkataramanan scolded them at 11PM. After an argument, the teenagers attacked the man with blades and fence wires. He died due to loss of blood.

A police officer told TOI, “The man suffered attacked him with a blade. The man suffered slits on his face. One of the boys hit him with a fencing wire that he removed from a barricade around a plant near the temple tank. Venkataramanan suffered severe injuries on his face and the wire mesh pierced his neck. He died of excessive blood loss.”

Four youth were arrested within hours by the Saidapet police.