BENGALURU: Even as the police are grappling with regulation of the huge number of vehicles on the roads in the city, rude and aggressive behaviour on part of the public is putting them in a tough spot.
Caught between their sense of duty and concern for their own safety, police personnel at the ground level are silently bearing the harassment meted out to them by some motorists. There have been several incidents in the recent months where policemen on duty have been assaulted by motorists stopped for drunken driving. While in some cases the policemen had to be hospitalised, in other cases, onlookers had to rush to their aid.
When they’re inebriated, everyone is a friend of the Chief Minister and the Home Minister. They threaten to call their contacts and the policemen endure endless arguments in spite of it being the motorists’ fault, cops said.
Speaking to City Express, a policeman who was assaulted by a group of motorists who were stopped for drunken driving recounted the abusive behaviour of the men: “Recently during a drive, we stopped a car. The passengers and the driver were inebriated. They got irritated when we asked them to stop the vehicle and assaulted me and another colleague. Thankfully some onlookers rushed to our aid as they realised that the men were at fault. Later we alerted the station and the men were taken into custody.”
In such a situation, the cops are helpless as they are bound by their duty and the only option for them is to be patient with the motorists. “We try not to react or aggravate the situation as when they’re drunk they wouldn’t be thinking straight. However, at the end of the day we are concerned about ourselves as our families are waiting back home for us,” a head constable attached with a station in the South division added.
Incidents such as these call for greater awareness on part of the public, the police personnel opined. “What people don’t realise is that it’s a criminal offense. Moreover, these drives are conducted keeping their own safety in mind,” a traffic inspector said adding that if people would co-operate with them in checking traffic violations, the roads would be far safer.