Chennai Autodrivers thwart terror attack

While the Mumbai was reeling under the recent terror attacks, an act of bravery by a Chennai Auto-driver has gone unnoticed. Our correspondent chanced upon this story and we have this saga for you in full detail.

Senthil Muthukrishnan is an auto driver from Saidapet, Chennai. His daily routine begins with a masala tea and a pack of beedi, after which he makes way to Chennai Central railway station, where his modus operandi is to catch visitors to Chennai promising them to ferry them to their destination and then promptly decide to swindle them either by taking them through a long circuitous route to their destination or by exhausting their supply of money and patience, whichever occurs first.

On the 1^st of December 2008, Senthil went to the Central as usual. There, he found Kasab II, an insurgent who had made way to Chennai in the hope of blowing it up, a la the recent Delhi bombings. KII's modus operandi was to proceed to the Chennai Corporation, which is situated very close to the railway station, plant a bomb there and detonate it remotely. However, he had to go to the harbour to obtain his weapons of mass destruction. And he had very little time because his aunt in Hyderabad had promised that she will make extremely tasty mutton curry if he arrives there the next morning. This turned out to be the turning point.

KII had a total supply of Rs 1000 to finish this operation. He got out of the railway station and made way to the auto stand. Whom should he find there but Senthil? He quickly got into the auto and murmured "Take me to the harbour". Senthil replied saying that it will cost him 400 rupees, noticing that KII was not dressed in lungi and banian, the official clothing of The Republic of Tamilnadu. KII, not knowing what he was getting into, agreed. Thereafter, Senthil promptly proceeded to take KII in circles.

After encircling the railway station area for the 321^st time, and with no harbour in sight, KII got a little impatient and asked when they would be reaching there. Senthil promptly entered the thick of the autorickshaws parked outside the railway station and said that he won't be getting out unless KII pays him Rs 700 above the meter. With just 20 minutes left for the train to leave for Hyderabad, KII had no option but to pay whatever he had, and run. Which is what he did.

And that is how we got saved.

PS: This is humour. Yes, this is insensitive. But, it is not irresponsible like this, or the media showing the commando operations like it was some reality tv show, or Barkha Dutt not letting the sensible people talk in We The People and preferring TRPs from the sob stories, or, well, I can go on and on.