Even as the Bengaluru traffic police face several complaints of harassment from the public, another video of a man who was allegedly assaulted by traffic officials has surfaced. A motorist was caught by the traffic police in Bengaluru’s Vijayanagar on Thursday, February 10, when the incident occured. He was reportedly asked to pay a fine of Rs 2,500, but when the man said he would pay the fine in court, he was allegedly assaulted twice by the police. The video of the traffic police assaulting the motorist after he questions the police official has gone viral on social media and has sparked outrage from several corners.
The person recording the video is heardsaying, “I am ready to pay the fine, but hitting me is wrong,” to a junior policeman as the senior official, who allegedly committed the act, was seen sitting on a chair nearby. The junior official then questions the man about the incident, when the other official, who has reportedly been identified as PSI Chandrashekhar, walks up to them. The video then becomes shaky, and the PSI is heard hitting the man and saying, “Give me the phone.” The man then escapes even as the policeman grabs his helmet, and is seen tossing aside. The man continues to say, “He should not have hit me. Look how he threw my helmet aside.”
After this, the PSI can be heard challenging the man to take his vehicle back. To this, the man replies, “There is a fine of Rs 2,500 and I'll pay it in court. But why did you raise your arm on me?” When the man says he has video proof of the assault, the officer is heard threatening him, saying that he shouldn’t show the video anywhere. He is also heard telling the man, “Come to the police station, we will deal with you.”
Tell us please. Why can't traffic police behave properly? If police behave like this what can you expect from citizens?@blrcitytraffic @jointcptraffic @JnanendraAraga @BSBommai @publictvnews @CPBlr @DgpKarnataka @riseupforrights @NammaBengaluroo @Namma_Bengaluru @BLRrocKS https://t.co/JyV54Jy1V7
— We are Bangalore (@wearebangalore2) February 10, 2022
The Bengaluru traffic police had earlier come under fire after another video surfaced of an officer kicking and dragging a woman by the hair near Bengaluru’s Town Hall in January 2022. According to the police, the woman, who reportedly lives with physical and mental disabilities, had thrown a stone at the officer. This caused him to bleed and angered him, the police had said.
The state government has halted the operations of towing vehicles in Bengaluru, after receiving a series of complaints alleging extortion at the hands of the traffic police. A video of a youth running behind a towing vehicle, pleading to release his vehicle, had gone viral earlier.