Can I shoot them?’ This was how Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M.A. Saleem dodged a query on the rampant use of mobile phones by motorists.
Mr. Saleem was a guest at an organ pledge drive and awareness rally organised in the city on Tuesday.
On the sidelines of a related news conference, when this reporter asked him what measures his department would take to discourage motorists from talking on their cell phones while driving, he immediately shot back, “ Yenri, naanu [avarannu] shoot maadbidla ! (Sir, should I shoot them?)”
‘Touring lakes?’
By the time the legislative committee on lake encroachment had arrived at Yediyur, a television channel had already broadcast ‘breaking news’ that members were “casually touring lakes”.
Irked by the statement, the members sought out the reporter concerned among the battalion of journalists at the lake. While K.B. Koliwad, MLA and head of the committee, was visibly angry, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy turned to sarcasm to vent his frustration. Facing television cameras, he said, “Do you want us to jump into the lakes to show how serious we are about these visits?”(Reporting by
C.K. Suryanarayana
& Mohit M. Rao)
