Law-breaking police officers Face-booked
Rules are not meant for the aam aadmi alone. They apply across the board to everyone from a local policeman to a cabinet minister. Or at least they should. So, if you saw a police officer violating the law would you be surprised? Or would you shrug it off with, “it happens in India,’’ and go about your business?
The latter is probably the course of action you would take. So, when the unlikely happened, most people were pleasantly shocked.
The traffic police booked 725 policemen, including many from the traffic department with the help of Facebook. Yes, the social networking site was put to good use as young users posted photographs of these cops on the fan page of the Delhi Traffic Police.
Delhi-based professional, Amit Gara who is quite active on Facebook is satisfied with the action taken against the cops. “The best part about the page is that it’s interactive,” he says.
“We all have seen cops bend rules, but who has the guts to argue with
them?” questions Amit, whose friends have been downloading their angst against these law-breaking policemen by uploading photos on the public forum.
“Rather than just making a face, I get into action and click photos with my cellphone as soon as I spot a ‘culprit’. Then, I take the effort to upload these pictures on Facebook. I am glad that these traffic violations were taken seriously and my effort was not in vain,” says Sheetal (name changed), a subscriber to the Facebook page.
Launched in May 2010, the Delhi Traffic Police page has become a popular place for Delhiites wanting updates on traffic jams, roadblocks, processions etc. and currently it has more than one lakh followers.
According to traffic police officials, 25 traffic policemen were transferred. Said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic), while anyone can book an ordinary person, it takes courage to act if the violator is powerful. “By doing so, we certainly created an example that rules are for all, and let’s not make any exceptions.”
But was any investigation done before booking these policemen? “Most of the policemen were booked for minor offences like not wearing a seatbelt, jumping lights and triple riding. In such cases, photographs form sufficient evidence. So, there was no further investigation required to reach a conclusion,” says Garg.
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