Telangana DGP Suspends Sub-Inspector For Letting Six-Year-Old Granddaughter Drive Car

In Hyderabad, Telangana Director General of Police CV Anand ordered the suspension of Sub-Inspector Pujari Thirupathi in 2026 after a viral video showed the officer allowing his six-year-old granddaughter to drive a car on a public road. Alongside the suspension, the DGP directed the police department to initiate a formal departmental inquiry into the officer's conduct.

The incident, which took place amid traffic congestion on a busy road, sparked widespread public outrage after a video of the encounter began circulating on social media. In the footage, the six-year-old girl is seen sitting in the driver's seat of the moving vehicle, while her grandfather, Sub-Inspector Thirupathi, occupies the front passenger seat.

A passing motorist noticed the young child behind the wheel, stopped the vehicle, and questioned the Sub-Inspector for allowing a minor to drive. During the confrontation, the officer defended his actions by claiming that the car was fully automatic and that he was actively controlling the steering wheel. He further claimed that he was training his granddaughter to attempt a Guinness World Record as the youngest driver in the world. During the interaction, the young girl was also heard saying, "Maa thaatha SI."

Following the viral spread of the video, a criminal case was officially registered against Thirupathi under Crime No. 1313/2026. The case charges him under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alongside Sections 184 and 180 of the Motor Vehicles Act, for permitting a minor to drive a vehicle.

Subsequent checks of the vehicle's traffic records by the police revealed a history of traffic violations. The car involved in the incident has six pending traffic challans amounting to Rs 4,010. These offences, recorded between May 2020 and October 2024 in Hyderabad and Mahbubnagar districts, include three cases of overspeeding, one lane-crossing offence, one stop-line violation, and one instance of parking or stopping in a prohibited area.

Further investigation into the case is currently in progress.