Crime rate has generally declined in Kozhikode city in the last several years. Nevertheless, two recent incidents illustrate that the city could be risky for travel during night hours especially where bar hotels operate.
Less than a fortnight ago motorists and pedestrians were caught in the middle of violent gangs fighting in front of a bar hotel on the Mavoor Road. Empty liquor bottles were thrown from the first floor of the building at them. A few motorists and even the police personnel who arrived at the scene sustained injuries.
A similar incident happened on the General Hospital Road, close to the office of the Commissioner of Police, at midnight last week. Here also, bottles were flung from the bar following altercation between two gangs. A scooterist was injured in the violence. The police say that some bars employed goons for dealing with mischief-makers and hooliganism.
In the Mavoor road incident, a group reached the bar to settle a score with the bar gang after one of its members was assaulted by them earlier. The second incident related to a security staff manhandling a drunken customer and later resulting in a street fight.
It is observed most bars function even beyond midnight although the stipulated time for them to carry out business is up to 10.30 p.m.
Lessons on road rules
For the city traffic police wing, ‘Fine and forget’ is not seemingly a final option to punish traffic violators as they are now fully determined to teach every violator a new ‘lesson’. For a change, one can just forget those days when people easily rode away after paying some money as fine for their traffic offences. Now, the trend is to catch every offender on the spot and send him for a short enlightening session on road rules at the traffic police station. Either a Circle Inspector or Sub Inspector will be eagerly waiting to teach the offender a lesson in traffic rules at least for 15 minutes. The classes are offered twice a day, except on Sundays. Officials with the Traffic Police wing reveal that the new method has been found effective.
(Contributions from Biju Govind and Mithosh Joseph)
