Chencho Dema

Wangdue— On December 11, the second bench of the Wangdue Dzongkhag Court imposed a fine of Nu 5,750 on Kinley Wangdi, the Gup of Kazhi Gewog, for his involvement in the death of a 50-year-old man on June 7.

The court found the gup guilty of three charges which were culpable driving, operating a vehicle without a valid license, and exceeding the permissible load height limit for a light vehicle in violation of the Road Safety and Transport Regulations 2021 and the Road Safety and Transport Act 1999.

The accident occurred at the conclusion of a ceremony inaugurating an irrigation channel for communities of Phangyul and Kazhi gewogs on June 7. After the ceremony, equipment including tents and poles from the event were being dismantled and loaded into the gewog Bolero pickup truck.

Since the driver of the Bolero was occupied with other duties, Kinley Wangdi, the gup of Kazhi gewog, took the wheel despite not holding a valid driver’s license.

While maneuvering the vehicle to make space for another car at the inauguration site, the unsecured tent poles in the cargo bed struck the gate. The impact caused the deceased, who was atop the gate removing its cover, to lose his balance and fall.

He suffered fatal head injuries upon hitting a nearby cement wall, leading to his death.

The conviction carried a fine of 50 penalty units after considering mitigating factors, including the accidental nature of the incident that the incident occurred during the official inauguration of a new irrigation channel, the gup’s clean record, and a voluntary compensation of Nu 670,000 accepted by the victim’s family.

The penalty units are used as a measure to calculate fines. One penalty unit represents a specific monetary amount, which is set by the government. The 50 penalty units, it means the fine for a particular offense is calculated as 50 times the value of one penalty unit. For example, if one penalty unit is equal to Nu 100, then a fine of 50 penalty units would be Nu 5,000.

The deceased was an Extended Support Personnel (ESP) working at Wangdue dzongkhag administration.

The case was sent to the Wangdue District Court on June 25. The Gup, who had been initially detained by Wangdue police, was released on bail on June 9.