The recent incident of a woman attacking a traffic policeman after being issued a challan has polarised the debate on police etiquette and road rage. While commuters accuse traffic policemen of being rude during regular checks, the police say that despite their exercising restraint and adopting a polite attitude, commuters violate rules.
According to C.V. Anand, commissioner of police (traffic) Hyderabad, this year alone, there have been 25 cases booked against citizens attacking traffic officials during checks. “If a citizen finds a policeman acting in a rude manner, it should always be taken up with the higher authorities and immediate disciplinary action will be taken against the official. Physical violence against a policeman on duty is a crime. To avoid such incidents, the department regularly conducts counselling programmes for policemen,” he said.
Citizens feel that the rudeness of officials precipitates such situations. Deepak Sharma, a software engineer, recounted how on June 29, he was stopped near West Marredpally for no offence and even after showing all his documents, a fine for rash driving was booked against him. When asked why he had to pay a fine, the official reacted rudely. D. Phalgun, a student, said that while heading towards Tank Bund on July 8, he was stopped near Raniganj for a minor offence. He paid the challan and apologised, but the policemen were rude.
The traffic police say that citizens should avoid getting into an argument and instead allow the officials to do their job. G. Ventakeshwaru, sub-inspector, traffic police, Panjagutta, said that citizens’ cooperation was required in not breaking the rules and producing all the documents when asked.