Traffic police, public face-off taking an ugly turn

Traffic police, public face-off taking an ugly turn
The Hindu

THE CONFRONTATION between the traffic police and the public in Bangalore has of late been taking violent turns.

While the traffic police and motorists indulging in heated exchanges is a common sight, in some recent incidents the public ire against the police has turned violent.

On March 16, violence broke out at Goruguntepalya on Tumkur Road after a traffic sub-inspector, Siddaiah, slapped a notice on a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) driver, Vishwanath, who allegedly jumped the traffic signal at the CMTI junction.

Siddaiah was accused of assaulting the driver.

Violence

Several BMTC bus drivers and conductors and the public too took to violence and at least 40 vehicles and a garment factory were damaged in stone throwing.

The public also set some police vehicles on fire.

Ten days later, on March 26, truck drivers blocked the Ring Road at Hennur and brought traffic to a halt after one of them was allegedly assaulted by a traffic police sub-inspector.

Venkatesh, sub-inspector at Hennur traffic subdivision, allegedly assaulted a truck driver who had parked his vehicle near the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) office on the Ring Road.

Enraged, around 100 truck drivers stopped their vehicles on the road blocking traffic, demanding stern action against Mr. Venkatesh.

Tension

Following the agitation, there was tension in the area for some time.

In another incident reported from Basavanagudi police station limits some time ago, the motorcycle of a traffic sub-inspector, Nanjunde Gowda, was set on fire near the Karanji Anjaneya Temple circle at Gandhi Bazaar.

Verbal duel

When Gowda issued a notice to the scooterist, who did not posses a driving licence, he reportedly refused to take it and started abusing the sub-inspector.

As Gowda was engaged in a verbal duel with the scooterist, around 50 people gathered there and some of them set Gowda's motorcycle on fire. Shopkeepers in Gandhi Bazaar claimed that the people in the area were angry with the traffic police who were allegedly harassing motorists and pavement hawkers.

Some disgruntled locals might have set the motorcycle on fire to vent their anger against the traffic police, they said.

Assault on constable

A few months ago, the Malleswaram police arrested Sreenivasa (45) of Kodandaramapura on charges of assaulting a traffic constable who was clearing encroachments on the pavements.

When the traffic police were clearing encroachments on the pavements on 10th Cross, Malleswaram, Sreenivasa accosted the policemen and picked a quarrel with them, saying they were ignoring such encroachments in Vyalikaval aarea.

Following this, Sreenivasa allegedly assaulted constable Basavaraju.

Reasons

Senior police officials give two reasons for such confrontations.

They say people feel offended when they are caught violating rules and turn their wrath on the police.

Secondly, a policeman who had lost his cool after arguing with several motorists, could have behaved arrogantly, attracting public ire.

They dismiss the violent incidents as "aberrations."