Kerala police booked 6,199 people for drunk driving during a state-wide enforcement drive conducted from 7 am on October 13 to 7 am on October 17, according to the State Police Media Centre. The operation covered multiple police units and was carried out on the instructions of ADGP (Law and Order) P Vijayan.
The drive was supervised by zonal inspector generals, range deputy inspector generals and district police chiefs, a police statement said. Ernakulam rural recorded the highest number of cases, with 710 people booked during the four-day operation. Thiruvananthapuram rural followed with 497 cases, while Kottayam district recorded 456.
Kasaragod reported the lowest number of cases among the areas listed by the police, with 75 people booked. The figures indicate the scale of enforcement activity across urban, suburban and district road networks, although the police statement did not provide a district-wise breakdown of breathalyser tests, arrests, vehicle seizures or prosecution outcomes.
The crackdown followed a crash involving a Mini Cooper that killed three young people. According to the report, the car was allegedly being driven by a person under the influence of alcohol before it rammed into a two-wheeler. The police cited the incident as the trigger for the enforcement drive.
Vijayan said drunk driving was a major cause of road accidents and fatalities. He added that vehicle inspections would continue in the coming days, signalling that the operation is not limited to the four-day period covered by the reported figures.
The enforcement effort places attention on how road-safety rules are implemented beyond major junctions and highways. The police statement identifies the number of people booked but does not specify the penalties imposed, the number of repeat offenders or whether the cases were registered through breathalyser checks, medical examination or other procedures. Those details will determine the longer-term enforcement impact of the drive.
For road users, the immediate implication is continued vehicle checking by police units across Kerala. The State Police Media Centre said inspections would continue, while the enforcement operation remains linked to the police response after the fatal Mini Cooper crash.
