Mahindra Thar Falls Into Dam While Shooting Instagram Reels

Social media has had a boom in the recent past. Everyone today wants to be a creator and amass massive followings on various social platforms. Doing stunts that stand out or are dangerous can easily increase views and grow follower count on most platforms- because, lets face it, the video format is very aggressive with its influence on people. Due to this, they often end up doing dangerous stunts that are equally stupid. One such incident from Kerala's Wayanad, had a previous generation Mahindra Thar end up in the Karappuzha dam after the driver's attempt to pull off stunt driving failed miserably.

This accident happened at the Nellarachal View Point in Wayanad. The meadows here have steep slopes that end in the reservoir. We aren't sure what exactly the driver was trying to accomplish by driving on one of these. His friends were out filming from various angles, while the driver was busy attempting the 'off-road course'.

As they were filming the act, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it drove straight into the dam. In seconds the vehicle got submerged, with the hood drowning first. It likely got beached in the dam's slush. It came to light later that the area where the vehicle fell into the reservoir, had enough depth to completely drown it, possibly killing the driver.

But the driver here was lucky and could somehow make it out of the vehicle. He swam to safety and fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle. He probably knew that things were going to get messy soon.

Locals informed the police about the incident. The cops soon arrived at the scene along with the fire force. Together they brought things under control and started the recovery. In some visuals that surfaced later, we get to see a tractor being used to pull the Thar to safety.

Reports say that it took the team several tries to get the vehicle back on the mainland. The landscape's gradient might have been the biggest challenge.

The Aftermath

Soon after recovering the vehicle, the police initiated severe action against the offenders. The five men involved in the act, identified as residents of Meenangadi and Vadakara (Calicut), were booked and later produced before the Wayanad District Court, Sulthan Bathery.

These men have been charged with offences including 'contaminating the water in an operational reservoir'. They might have been charged with section 277 (fouling public water sources), 430 (mischief causing damage to public water supplies) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and more. We don't have exact information on this though. The authorities will likely take action against them for taking a vehicle into the reservoir premises as well.

The police also seem to have plans of approaching the Motor Vehicle Department to cancel the registration of the Thar involved in this act. This would essentially render it useless.

Another Incident In The Recent Past

This is not the first time that unsafe stunts cause accidents at Nellarachal View Point. Previously, a man doing stunts on a tractor at the same steep slope near the reservoir had met with an accident. The tractor overturned and took severe damage even though the driver could escape unhurt.

Bottomline

Nellarachal View Point is a popular tourist destination. It isn't one of those off-beat places which rarely has human presence and is accessed only by hardcore explorers. Attempting stunts here, can thus be dangerous to those around as well. Accidents can cause harm to the people around them and possibly put their lives at risk. Strict action should be taken against these violators and measures to avoid such malpractices must be undertaken.