KP records 245 drink driving cases on Dec 31, Jan1
Times of India | 2 January 2026
Kolkata: Kolkata Police has recorded 95 cases of drink driving on New Year Day, with the total number of cases on Dec 31-Jan 1 clocking 245 prosecutions. This remained one of the highest in the past 10 months, though lower than the 315-odd reported last year.
The total prosecutions on New Year's Eve and Jan 1 totalled 1,961, more than two times compared to Christmas Eve and Christmas this year. While Christmas Eve saw 300-odd cases, Christmas Day witnessed 412 traffic prosecutions after evening checks.
Most drink driving cases took place in central, north and southern fringes of the city, such as Sinthee, Shyambazar, Behala and Tiljala, and away from the party zone of Park Street or Sarat Bose Road. Interestingly, cops found many turned to their female partners to drive for fear of being caught drunk, in addition to using drivers. "We asked our men on the ground to check the female riders, too. This was the first time such a large number of female riders and drivers got checked," said a cop.
Two-hundred-and-twelve others were found riding without a helmet on New Year Day, and 109 others were pulled up for rash driving. There were also 88 cases of triple riding. Yet again, the two-wheelers were the biggest violators of traffic norms.
Early checks from 7 pm on Wednesday across the city, and special drives since 12 midnight, along with the identification of escape routes utilised by motorists, culminated in the substantial number of prosecutions on New Year's Eve compared to Christmas.
Cops claimed that this drop in drink driving compared to last year can be attributed to a number of factors, the most important being a significant drop in those hitting the streets, especially two-wheelers, this year due to the chill in the air. Constant checks in the heart of the city post 10 pm and the use of chauffeurs also played their part.
"In the run-up to the New Year, drink driving and dangerous driving cases after 9 pm were almost equal to cases of helmetless riding or triple riding. But on December 31, thanks to large-scale awareness, we found many opted to hire drivers after drinking. But we had a tough time reining in errant bikers," said an officer, adding they had a puja-like deployment on December 31, with checkpoints and teams with breathalysers. Cops were also out on bike patrol.
Between December 25 and 30, cops prosecuted 56,000 motorists, at an average of 8,000 cases per evening. The biggest concern for cops, though, was the mix of rash and negligent driving (speeding) along with signal violations, with the 2 together constituting around 25% of all traffic violations. Worse, the two-wheelers yet again emerged as the worst violators.
In the past 2 days, drink and dangerous driving cases after 9 pm were almost equal to cases of not wearing a helmet or triple riding in the run-up to the New Year, Kolkata traffic police said, quoting raid figures for the past 3 days. Between December 28 and December 30, the city reportedly witnessed over 100 cases of dangerous driving and 60-odd cases of drunk driving, compared to 147 cases of helmetless riding and 89-odd cases of triple riding.
Throughout Wednesday night and early Thursday morning — which was New Year's Eve and the main New Year day — the cops set up different teams to counter speeding across the city. Nakas set up in a zig-zag manner forced motorists to slow down.
The night before New Year's Eve, the cops launched their crackdown across 50 locations between 9 pm and 1 am. The almost 4 km stretch between Sinthee–Shyambazar–5-point crossing, the EM Bypass, and the 2.7 km-long Park Circus–Gariahat stretches witnessed maximum traffic signal and stop-line violations in the past week, claimed police sources.
BOX:
- Kolkata Police recorded 95 drunk-driving cases on New Year's Day; total drunk-driving prosecutions for Dec 31–Jan 1 reached 245, among the highest in 10 months but below last year's 315.
- Total traffic prosecutions over New Year's Eve and New Year were 1,961, about 2.5 times the Christmas period.
- Christmas Eve saw about 300 prosecutions; Christmas Day recorded 412 after evening checks.
- Drunk-driving hotspots included Sinthee, Shyambazar, Behala and Tiljala, not Park Street or Sarat Bose Road.
- Police checked more female drivers as some intoxicated men had partners drive.
- New Year's Day also saw 212 helmetless riders, 109 rash-driving cases and 88 triple-riding cases, mainly involving two-wheelers.
- Citywide checks began around 7 pm, with special drives after midnight and monitoring of escape routes.