BBMP staffers or outright goons?

BBMP staffers or outright goons?
Are employees of the civic agency trying to compete in lawlessness with the city’s rowdies and goons? Recently, two techies were beaten after a minor accident involving their two-wheeler and a BBMP vehicle
SHYAM PRASAD & HEMANTH KASHYAP


Around 9.30 pm on March 31, Pavan and Nandan, cousins who work in a company in Whitefield, were returning home on their bike after dinner. They were on Hosur Road opposite Forum Mall and travelling towards the Dairy Circle flyover when a car in front of them took a turn. As they applied the brakes, a white Maruti van with a BBMP nameplate (KA 01 G 2433) hit the bike from behind. Pawan, who was driving, and Nandan suffered minor injuries as a result.
“We got down and moved to the side of the road to check the damage to our bike. The driver and a co-passenger in the car came up to us and demanded that we get their vehicle repaired. When we demurred, they started abusing us. This was when we realised that they were both drunk,” Pavan told Bangalore Mirror.
“Meanwhile, the car driver called up a person named Donald. Soon enough, someone came on the scene and started yelling at us. When we said we would call the police, he threatened us with dire consequences if we did not pay up,” Pavan said.
GOON SHOW
A while later, some more goons appeared and started threatening the two techies. Frightened as they were, the duo managed to call the police control room on 100 and were assured that a Hoysala team would reach there in a few minutes. But even after an hour, no police personnel came to the spot.
“We tried to reason with the driver of the BBMP vehicle that the accident was not our fault as he had hit us from behind. The goons then called up someone else, who spoke to Pavan on the phone and threatened to have us beaten up if we did not pay up,” Nandan said.
After around 20 minutes, a traffic policeman showed up. He wanted to make out a report but the goons threatened him too and he backed off.
“We realised that we had better pay up just to save ourselves from a thrashing. We asked the driver how much it would cost to have his vehicle repaired and he said Rs 3,000. We barely pooled together Rs 500 and offered it to the driver. This made the goons even angrier and they assaulted my cousin. It was with great difficulty that I could pull him away,” Pavan said.
“We left with bruises and a feeling of sheer helplessness. We are lawabiding citizens. We have been living in Bangalore for the last 30 years and have never had any brush with the law,” he said.
BITTER TASTE
Voicing their bitterness over the episode, Pavan said, “Our injuries will heal in a few days but we won’t forget this experience for a long time. Is this all we can expect from our police force or are we just too small a problem for Bangalore’s police? Probably two citizens of this city being beaten up, abused and threatened in front of a police constable in uniform does not figure on their radar.”
When DCP (South East) B N S Reddy was contacted, he said, “Till date I have not received any complaint in the matter. If there is a complaint, I will definitely take action. It is my duty to protect the public. If at all any policemen are guilty in this case, I will take action against them too.”