BENGALURU: Think twice before you take on cops on duty as you may land up in jail. Bullying traffic policemen henceforth will be a serious offence and assaulters will be jailed.
As traffic policemen are taking steps to curtail various violations, including reckless driving, driving without licence, drunken driving and parking on road by BMTC bus drivers, there has been a sudden rise in cases of assault against men in khaki on duty.
The Bengaluru traffic police have booked 74 such cases in 2015. Taking a serious note of the assault cases, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic & Security) M.A. Saleem warned city motorists to cooperate with the police or face serious consequences.
Mr Saleem told Deccan Chronicle, “There has been a significant increase in the number of assault cases against policemen. If anyone tries to obstruct policemen from carrying out their duties, the motorists will face stringent punishment and may even attract five-year imprisonment.”
Last Saturday, a 25-year-old woman was put in the lock-up after she abused traffic police officers in foul language in Wilson Garden traffic police limits. Dimple alias Dimpy, a resident of Koramangala and working in a woman’s bar, was released on bail only on Monday.
Dimpy, who was riding a two-wheeler, tried to avoid policemen, who were conducting a drunk driving check on Double Road. She tried to take a turn but fell from her bike. The policemen approached her and asked her to take the alcometer test, but she refused.
She also started abusing woman police inspector Meenakshi and other policemen who tried to impound her bike. She threatened the policemen with dire consequences. As a constable was videographing the incident, she attacked him too and asked him to stop filming her. In another incident on December 9, a 50-year-old head constable of Kumaraswamy Layout traffic police station, was assaulted and abused by a drunk BBMP Contractor.
Drunk driving cases
- Month 2014 2015
- Jan. 2568 4340
- Feb. 3876 2971
- March 6559 4424
- April 4731 2167
- May 4285 3928
- June 4069 5263
- July 4572 5336
- August 4603 3831
- Sep. 4426 5608
- Oct. 3158 8485
- Nov. 5895 6762
- Dec. 6396 ------
- Total 55138 53115
Previous incidents
- Dec. 3: Arekesh, an autorickshaw driver, was arrested by Byatarayanapura police for abusing and assaulting a traffic policeman Ravi Shankar on duty
- Nov. 22: Two drunk men, Shiv Kumar and Yogesh, were arrested by Sampangiram Nagar police for misbehaving with traffic cops on duty
- Nov. 4: Iraqi national Mustafa Talib was arrested by Commercial Street police for attacking a cop on duty
- Oct. 29: A sub-inspector and a head constable of Halasuru traffic policestation were assaulted by two bike-borne men when they were flagged down by the police on Inner Ring Road as the rider was not wearing a helmet
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
