The city’s traffic police will soon have a mascot and it is most likely to be the much-loved and remembered traffic policeman — Thimmaiah — who died while on duty when he saved a woman and her child from being run over by a van in 1995.
“He was very popular with children and was much loved by everyone in the city. We are considering his likeness as the mascot for the traffic police as one of the options. However, no decision has been taken yet,” R. Hitendra, Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, said.
'Meese' Thimmayya, as he was popularly known because of his massive moustache, manned the GPO Circle for many years.
‘Meese’ Thimmaiah, as he was popularly known because of his massive moustache, manned the GPO Circle for many years and was known across the city because of his clockwork like management of traffic at the circle.
With a spotless record till the time of his death, he was awarded a gold medal posthumously and the circle was renamed as Police Thimmaiah Circle in his honour.
The decision to choose Thimmaiah as the official mascot, if finalised, would be gladly accepted by many in the police force who either have fond memories of having met the head constable or having heard stories of his popularity. “It is important to keep the memory of someone like Thimmaiah alive,” a senior police officer said.
Bangalore Traffic Police have a sizeable presence on Twitter with over three lakh followers.
The entire city’s police force, most of whom are present on Twitter and Facebook, have a massive following and a mascot will be a very visible sign that people can identify with.
