At a time when the city police are encouraging citizens to capture and report violations through an app, a citizen was allegedly intimidated and harassed for photographing a traffic cop riding without a helmet.
Goutham Jain, a cloth merchant, saw the traffic policeman riding a motorcycle without a helmet on Adugodi main road on Monday. He took a photograph with his phone camera.
Trouble started when the constable Ramesh – who is attached to Koramangala traffic station – noticed Goutham clicking the picture. Ramesh allegedly approached Goutham and told him to delete the photograph. When Goutham refused, Ramesh snatched the bike key and fled.
Curious onlookers, who noticed Ramesh's uncouth behaviour, staged an impromptu protest. They blocked the road using Goutham’s bike. Soon three patrolling vehicles reached the spot. They bundled the protestors, including Goutham, in their vehicles and took them to Koramangala traffic police station.
However, instead of helping Goutham lodge a complaint or examining evidence of the violation captured on his phone, the policemen threatened to book him for public nuisance. Eventually, Goutham was forced to write an apology. The policemen returned the bike key only after deleting the picture from the mobile phone. The others, who supported Goutham, were let off with a warning.
Though traffic police are exempted from rules in case of an emergency, Ramesh’s behaviour has triggered an inquiry by the traffic police.
Prima facie evidence indicates rude behaviour by the constable
C.K. Baba,
DCP (Traffic East)
