IGP says he would ascertain details
KNZ NEWS DESK
Srinagar, Aug 09 : Traffic policemen deployed near Sanat Nagar chowk in uptown city have become a “law unto themselves” as vehicle owners allege they cops “harass” them on one pretext or another.
On Thursday the traffic cops stopped a school van of the preparatory school and asked the driver to produce the documents.
The driver of the vehicle said, “I was carrying the scanned copy of the registration certificate. When the traffic policemen saw it they asked me to park the vehicle on the side and told me that the vehicle stands seized.”
The driver said that he told them that all the documents are complete and he would get the original RC within a few minutes as the school is nearby. “I called my colleagues over phone and within a few minutes they reached on the spot with the RC. Despite I producing all the documents they refused to release the vehicle,” he added.
The driver said that after he failed to persuade them he called up the owner of his school and informed him about the matter. The owner reached on the spot and pleaded with the traffic cops to let the van go as the children would be waiting for it come on their respective stops.
“I tried to reason out with them why they have seized the vehicle despite we producing all the documents,” the owner of the school said.
“We can seize any vehicle. You do whatever you like. Our DY SP Sahab has given us all the powers,” the owner quoted the traffic policemen as having said.
The owner said that somehow he managed to get the number of the DY SP and called him up.
“The officer said that vehicle has been challaned and nothing can be done. My repeated pleas that the children would be waiting did not have any effect on him. I told him that I am ready to pay the fine. But he did not listen. He told me that he will call back and then disconnected the phone,” the owner said.
He said that the officer didn’t call back and when he (owner) tried to call him back he did not pick up the phone. “The officer not responding to the repeated calls emboldened the traffic cops present there. They seized the vehicle as well as the documents. I told them to give me the receipt for seizing the documents but they refused. After lot of persuasion and pleading they returned the documents and seized the vehicle,” the owner said.
He said, “I just want to know why I was harassed despite having all the documents. What wrong I had done. Have traffic policemen been given the license to harass anyone on the streets?”
Senior Superintendent of Police Traffic Mubashir Bukhari said, “If the traffic policemen have misbehaved with the driver of the van and the owner of the school it’s unfortunate and matter would be looked into.” He said that policemen should realize that they have to be people friendly and have to give respect to the common citizens.
Inspector General of Police Traffic Basant Rath said that he would ascertain the details of the incident and see to it that commoners are not “harassed” on the roads. (KNS)
