[rahulskumar]

When everything is digital why to even stop our vehicles if we have not done any mistake. Traffic dept should install camera systems with the capability to detect if insurance and puc is valid. If not the system should send out e-challan. I see many instances where cops simply stop us to get some hafta

[IP_Man]

Sad incidence.

In general people don't have good opinion about traffic police. Their job is to stop people breaking traffic law but what we observe? They first allow people to break traffic law and then they catch them. Their interest is not in traffic regulation but always in fine collection.

[CarNerd]

I think Cops should not abuse or beat people just because they wear a uniform. They should remember that the uniform is to protect and serve the people not to oppress them. It's time we have strict laws & monitoring against cops who misuse their authority.

That said, the bike rider should have stopped after seeing the police. At the most they would have fined him or let him go after asking some bribe.

[Karthik.thm]

Police atrocities have been increased post covid lockdown in Bangalore.

I'm not judging or supporting anyone for above incident.

Post lockdown, there has been constant check ups by traffic cops all over Bangalore.

Traffic cops is stopping almost all vehicles (including rented scooters) for inspection. This is accompanied by marshalls who fines people who doesn't wear face mask.

I do not have any problem in stopping me and I am willing to give my busy time for them to conduct their inspections. However, I strongly oppose them for being so impatient to catch their target on road.

I have seen them doing all kind of acrobatics, running towards a teenager through dense traffic, leaping on moving two wheelers etc risking His/Her life and other commuters life.

I have my own personal experience too. When me and my father were travelling on a bike, a cop signalled me to stop. Put on left indicator, waved my hand for left signal, checked rear view mirror and a Activa was very eager to overtake me from left. I wait for him to overtake me so that I can slow down and stop to the cops who were waiting on left side. But the traffic cop mistook that I am trying to just ride away and came in front of us and he just pulled my handle bar towards left. Few seconds I lost control and eventually I stopped in the middle of the road risking me and my father. After a long heated arguments I left the place as my father insisted to move. I also tweeted about this along with cops name to traffic commissioner but nothing happened.

My question here is, why they have to be so vigorous? Risking everyone on road for what?
If a motorist is not wearing helmet/seatbelt or any other offence just send a challan. They should have all the details including insurance validity. Instead of chasing motorists like a criminal, sending challan is much better option in my opinion.

[sentra26]

This is sad on so many different levels. Cops jumping in front of vehicles is a daily affair in Bangalore as well. The other dangerous stunt they pull is jumping and waving the goods mini-trucks/vans from the right most lane into the left lane so they can have a leisurely chat. Some promptly obey and swerve left without even looking to see if there are other cars or bikes on their way. We have had conversations with ASIs and Inspectors here in our area but most fall on deaf ears.

As a side note, the new bus lane systems on ORR in Bangalore (hastily designed and implemented) seems to be deadly for two wheelers leaving them no space. Even with less traffic, I see some cars struggling to merge into the main road from the service lanes. But that's a different topic.

Also, most people seem to be on edge nowadays. Maybe the virus, subsequent lockdown and its effects on the overall state of mind seems to have put most on tenterhooks. Sad to see this and hope the family of the deceased find peace.

[vinu_h]

There are some good ones also out there. Very noble of this cop.

A Tamil Nadu cop stopped a biker to ask him to help an elderly woman who had dropped her bottle of medicine

https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buz...l-video/737026

[poised2drive]

The cops in India are one of the most apathetic crowd you'd ever find ( perhaps for right reasons, due to overstress, unbelievably high working hours , understaffed) and one may be inclined to believe that the death of the biker is due to the cops overzealous attitude.

Notwithstanding, I am totally against this kind of mob justice , which is not only a deranged act , but can be extremely dangerous , like resulting in the death of policemen , guilty or not.

This is a structural problem in our country and not one-off incident as it is a common sight across all India.

The sight of police on Indian roads should give us a sense of relief/protection , but unfortunately, it imbibes fear - partly due to the habit of illegal extortion by the police and partly due to the regular misdemeanor of an average Indian biker , who have always taken the road rules for a joke.

The system is changing , but at a pathetical pace where a common man cannot sense it. The Police brass , if willing, has to take an aggressive approach to overhaul the conduct of the police force , which still lurks in the colonial hangover ( whose objective was to harass people) and modernize their institutions not just with the tech and gizmos , but to expose the personnel to the sensibilities and follow people-friendly policing.
And people should start taking social sense seriously and not like school syllabus and follow the road rules religiously.

And this traffic checkings should be phased out unless there is a clear breaking of a rule and an imminent danger to some party - like over speeding/dangerous driving

But given the conditions, it is asking a deeply entrenched system to lose their privilege ( to harass the public at their will) , which is not as simple as it appears and needs radical approach, which is probably very difficult.

[skyocean]

Originally Posted by jithin23

KA police will never learn from their mistakes.

Unless this "adjust" attitude remains with all of us, things are going to remain the same and there will be no changes. Please don't get me wrong because I'm speaking negatively, I'm stating the live reality around us

... and then the same cycle continues.

KA police are the pebble among stones. I have seen that in Bangalore they speak to you with at least some amount of respect, in other cities they never miss an opportunity to make you feel what police attitude/ego really is.

I agree with you that the root cause of all this is our People ! No need of blaming anyone neither the government, nor the cops or the media. The corruption starts with me and you and then continues straight to the top. After years of Independence and countless attempts by different people at power we are seeing a gradual increase at Law Enforcement ! And this has resistance because we are so used to shortcuts and adjustments.

We the people talk a big deal about laws but when it comes to enforcing it or following it we start crying. This gives the handle for corruption and like you rightly mentioned is a Cycle of Normalcy in India.

All said and done feels bad for the loss of life and there is no justification for that. Till all our people change their mindset and start respecting law to the fullest such accidents will happen and will force even the law abiding ones to have mixed opinions.

There is simply no solution to the above problem I feel. So Lets all go to Mars, there is no grass there to be greener yet but we will find our ways.

[RT13]

Sorry (not sorry) but there is no way I’m on the side of anyone who endorses these cops being thrashed by a mob!!

I don’t know exactly what happened in this instance, but without a shadow of a doubt I can say that public behaviour and flouting of rules on the roads forces the cops to behave as they do to stop vehicles. Two wheelers and four wheelers go to extreme lengths to ‘dodge’ police standing in the road. Most two wheelers being flagged are invariably at fault, clearly not wearing a helmet. So many of them do crazy u-turns and even jump dividers to get away, all in the middle of traffic, endangering other motorists. Cops routinely have to jump out of the way or risk being run down. All for a paltry salary which can never justify risk to life and limb.

We, the public, are at fault, no two ways about it.

Is there a collection overdrive? Sure. But why is it the cops can collect? Because people are breaking rules en masse! It’s seem patently idiotic to claim that police need to temper their enthusiasm when the real culprits are everybody who breaks the law wilfully! To expect not to be caught as a right is exactly the problem!

I have been guilty of jumping lights a couple of times in the past few years - on each occasion I was stuck directly behind a large vehicle whose lead I followed, couldn’t actually see a badly placed signal properly and had it change so suddenly that I had no option but to either continue or get hit from one side or the other. Each time when the cop stepped out to stop me, I put my hand up, turn on my hazards, pull over, get out of the car, apologise and hand over my documents. All before they can say or demand anything. I then offer to pay the fine. I can’t tell you the sheer relief I’ve seen on each cop’s face! They actually smile at me! One guy said ‘Gentlemaan, ah! Wokay.’ They were THANKFUL that they had one less douchebag to fight and argue with in the day! Can you imagine that? Gratitude! That a person who has broken the law, isn’t going to abuse them! I can’t imagine what life must be like, dealing with that day in and day out. They have unfailingly given me a receipt and I’ve moved on, usually with a smile to send me on my way.

Please understand that I know there is corruption but, to my mind, there are few more thankless jobs than being a traffic cop in India. At least in my experience, the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu traffic police are generally decent chaps with a tough job to do, mostly giving receipts for spot fines IF the culprit doesn’t try and evade it or ‘reduce’ it. For those suggesting we move to a remote system, you need to do some research on Indian two-wheeler ownership patterns in particular. There is a huge percentage of people who use second/third/fifth hand two wheelers with documentation that is obviously not updated. Even if you could move and update that system (which’ll take decades if at all), do try and get people to actually pay their dues. Collection is a different level of challenge in India. Spot fining is the only solution for now.

A life has been lost. It is sad. It is also a reflection of systemic problems in our society’s attitude to the law on the whole. We have some sort of moral sliding scale as to what level of dodging the law is socially acceptable and what isn’t. And so we will force the system to do what it has to, pushing everyone to the brink. All those hooligans smashing the patrol car and sucker punching the cops are probably just guys standing around who took the opportunity to get back at the establishment when they could. Not like they particularly cared about the guy who got run over or were even bothered about the actual facts or circumstances. It’s that ‘chance pe dance’ mentality. And it shouldn’t be allowed to stand.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by skyocean

KA police are the pebble among stones. I have seen that in Bangalore they speak to you with at least some amount of respect, in other cities they never miss an opportunity to make you feel what police attitude/ego really is.

I agree with you that the root cause of all this is our People ! No need of blaming anyone neither the government, nor the cops or the media. The corruption starts with me and you and then continues straight to the top and this has resistance because we are so used to shortcuts and adjustments.

We the people talk a big deal about laws but when it comes to enforcing it or following it we start crying. This gives the handle for corruption and like you rightly mentioned is a Cycle of Normalcy in India.


There is simply no solution to the above problem I feel. So Lets all go to Mars, there is no grass there to be greener yet but we will find our ways.

They are all of the same breed and will make you regret why are we living itself. Only the level of harassment varies. I do always stop whenever a cop flags me down. They simply do find a lame reason to pocket money. The latest one being that I had to pay even to get an FIR for my stolen scooter which they're yet to give even after a week. In the RTO office they say "Its your laziness for losing the vehicle". Seriously, laziness even if the vehicle is stolen in front of my house . What do these guys think when they talk. I want to see if they talk the same to a powerful person or a politician

Another safety net the RTO has come up with is that no person is supposed to take pictures or record videos in the RTO premises including media people. If fou, they'll be booked under a criminal case. Now you tell me where's the transparency. If they're transparent, things will obviously be better for us.

What else can a commoner like you and me do? We're forced to pay up and if we don't, we're harrased to the core.
If we don't grease palms, they make sure that we end up getting fed up of why we are living itself.

Unless there's a major shift in the way our lawmakers and government agencies treat commoners this will continue. They need to stop treating us like ATM machines

Oh yeah, I hope in Mars it's more peaceful

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by RT13

Each time when the cop stepped out to stop me, I put my hand up, turn on my hazards, pull over, get out of the car, apologise and hand over my documents. All before they can say or demand anything. I then offer to pay the fine. I can’t tell you the sheer relief I’ve seen on each cop’s face! They actually smile at me! One guy said ‘Gentlemaan, ah! Wokay.’

For those suggesting we move to a remote system, you need to do some research on Indian two-wheeler ownership patterns in particular. There is a huge percentage of people who use second/third/fifth hand two wheelers with documentation that is obviously not updated. Even if you could move and update that system (which’ll take decades if at all), do try and get people to actually pay their dues. Collection is a different level of challenge in India. Spot fining is the only solution for now.

All those hooligans smashing the patrol car and sucker punching the cops are probably just guys standing around who took the opportunity to get back at the establishment when they could. Not like they particularly cared about the guy who got run over or were even bothered about the actual facts or circumstances. It’s that ‘chance pe dance’ mentality. And it shouldn’t be allowed to stand.

People like you and me tend to follow the law but that's only a few of us like you pointed out and that needs a massive change and strict issuance of licensees.

With regards to vehicle ownership I agree 100% to that. I was checking for a used scooter 2 days ago and believe me the person who has bought the scooter from the previous owner did not even transfer the ownership nor insurance to his name. Technically I would have been the 3rd owner I I had to buy that scooter. The scooter looked good albeit a some scratches. When I decided to walk away from that place was that the person was insisting on how much I'll pay and his name and address was not mentioned in the insurance copy. It was in the name of the previous owner itself.

The less spoken about used vehicle dealers, the better. And then I decided to go for a new one itself rather than going through hassles.

I seriously don't understand how people are so ignorant and don't change vehicle documents to their names thinking they'll save a few thousands. They'll never realise until something goes wrong and you need to visit courts or cops.

With respect to mobs, that's right again. They just want a chance to vent out their anger against the system. And the same mob will just stand and watch if a person has met with an accident and will not even bother to call up the ambulance or provide basic help to the victims. They don't realize that they're also suffocating the victim by circling around

[jeganatu]

Similar cases reported many a times.
Nagarcoil!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVNcimwbAjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxVRDODL284

Chennai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0wmeq4XQec

Trichy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOVTckFl04w

Salem
Lathi was inserted in the wheels to stop the biker, he fell down to death!
trying to find the news link

Madurai- a very similar lathi inserted case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxFxLVGg6-I

Kerela - Same case, person injured severely

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/72284700.cms



Salem incident 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho4RfF0JK9Y

Friend of decesed reported that police did lathi charge at his friend before he fall to his death

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwxQRe5iLXw

Safe Solution?
A set of protocols to be followed by police by placing barricades, and warning on comers about the traffic check post ahead and then stop by to check the documents.

The Hyderabad police coming in front of speeding vehicle who was to flee, the death was his own decision! Even though, the vehicle would escape, it was stupid decision volunteering to go front and trying to stop it! Sorry for the system! This should change at least from now!

[Avinash_R]

Originally Posted by jeganatu

Safe Solution?
A set of protocols to be followed by police by placing barricades, and warning on comers about the traffic check post ahead and then stop by to check the documents

If people warn incomers about the traffic check post ahead, I believe each one of the riders or drivers breaking the law will take a U-turn and head the other way even if it means driving on the wrong side of the road. Won't work in our country. Everybody is here to find a loophole.

E.g. No talking on the mobile while riding? No problem! We will keep mobile inside the helmet so that police can't see. Some helmets are coming up with designs to keep mobile safely inside.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

I've mentioned this in some other thread as well. Late Justice AN Mulla (Former Judge of Allahabad HC and author of Mulla Committee on Prison reforms) once said:

"I say it with all sense of responsibility, that there is not a single lawless group in the whole country, whose record of crime is anywhere near the record of that organized unit which is known as the Indian Police Force."

Exceptions are always there, but that pretty much sums up.

Spike

[Pri2]

The entire system is to be blamed for this. Here is my analysis on this:

1. The traffic police is pressurised by the govt to extort money from vehicle owners. Money is shared at multiple levels and this is a very lucrative business. Ask any police constable and you would know how much of bribes they have paid to land in this job which is neither high paying nor has a safe work environment.

2. No one likes being stopped by traffic police and would do everything to avoid from being stopped. Most of vehicle drivers in India wear a helmet or seatbelt to avoid fines. Some take dangerous decisions when being stopped by cops. This could be due to various reasons. One main reason could be humiliation and violence they may have to undergo if they are from the economically weaker section of the society.

If policemen weren't pressurised to extort money from citizen and were paid a decent salary with a decent work environment, there would be a huge improvement overall.