[racer_ash]

While most of us are trying to post personal experiences of how the policemen have acted all gentlemanly, there are some others who simply post links, videos and news articles without actually experiencing first hand on how the situation is. I don't think there is merit in continuing this any further. Maybe a poll on police experiences faced FIRST HAND (not hearsay) would help clear the air. However I dont think its even worth the effort considering the excuses flying around here.

Somehow we have been conditioned to always play the victim card when it suits us. The same people sitting in a foren land would tiptoe the line of cops or for that matter any authority without raising an eyebrow

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by poloman

Would appreciate if you post both sides of the story. Otherwise this can be only called propaganda.
In both these cases police was beaten blue and black.
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=-PJGJCmzOhI

Hope you are not engaging in propaganda. I understand most people would have seen the video on news channel and initially I supported the police in this case too but it seems there is more to this story.

Please see the video posted by this sir on twitter:

https://twitter.com/VijethSaliyan/st...722475008?s=08

Not sure if the police will investigate this since they apparently shot the aggressor in the left leg so they won't be able to admit to any wrongdoing.

[jetsetgo08]

Slightly offtopic post.

Started the car after a week's gap. Couldn't remember the last when i had given the car a full weeks rest. Not exaggerating, but the sound of the cranking engine and diesel clatter just left me in a bliss for a few moments.

[wanderer4x4]

Without going much into debate, I feel this pic circulating in WhatsApp speaks volumes about the hardship our forces operate in. (relevant even without going into whether this pic is current or old)

And majority of us citizens on the road are not making their job any easier by being absolute indisciplined morons in these challenging times.

[AZT]

D Mart is offering this service in Bombay. Should be the same in other metros too.

[shashank.nk]

I had to step out of the house on 24th just before the lockdown was announced by PM and today as well.I was stopped by cops both times and each time the cops asked me why I was out on the street and where I stayed.

I showed them medicines and groceries and was let off as I wasn't more than half km away from my house. I was on a two-wheeler first time and car the second time, no cop swung a lathi at me without giving me an opportunity to answer first. I also visit the nearby Nandini milk booth to pick up milk each day by walk and there are no cops on the way.

However, what have I noticed over the last few days:

• Young boys on their two wheelers riding at breakneck speeds. thanks to the empty roads. No helmets as a surgical mask is all that's needed to protect their heads.
• A family of four thought this is the best time to teach their daughter how to drive since the roads are empty. All four were inside the car for moral support! Social distancing...what's that ?
• A couple couldn't find a place which was open,so decided to have a chat inside a car with dark tints.
• My neighbor celebrated Ugadi with their relatives coming over just like they do every year. Curfew be damned!

The media is highlighting only cases of police brutality for TRPs completely ignoring the fine gentlemen and women who do their duty like they should. Please don't be swayed by such videos.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Hope you are not engaging in propaganda. I understand most people would have seen the video on news channel and initially I supported the police in this case too but it seems there is more to this story.

I think you did not read my post properly and saw only the videos. I did not post it while this was being circulated for 2 days now. I posted it to prove that there are two sides to the coin. There are multiple videos in circulation like these. We don't know what transpired before or after. I have fully condemned the police action. If this is the same guy,there is a prequel and a sequel. As per reports he was doing wheelie, tried to break in through a check post. Then the incidents in these two videos happened. And in a sequel he was even shot at legs after he was taken to the site for on the pretext of evidence gathering. If you beat up police, you bet they are going to let loose their vengeance in all ways possible.

This is not time for video wars. People should stop going out for trivial things and Police should issue pass for essential services personnel. Problem solved.

[AZT]

These stories about either people beating police or police beating people are all outliers. They should definitely be called out but these get blown out of proportion. Posting something interesting I’d read a while back which should better explain

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by poloman

I think you did not read my post properly and saw only the videos. I did not post it while this was being circulated for 2 days now. I posted it to prove that there are two sides to the coin. There are multiple videos in circulation like these. We don't know what transpired before or after. I have fully condemned the police action. If this is the same guy,there is a prequel and a sequel. As per reports he was doing wheelie, tried to break in through a check post. Then the incidents in these two videos happened. And in a sequel he was even shot at legs after he was taken to the site for on the pretext of evidence gathering. If you beat up police, you bet they are going to let loose their vengeance in all ways possible.

Actually, at the time I only read your posts didn't see the video .

Since the incident was floating around on Social media I knew the incident you chose to highlight with the videos.

Agreed, that there are two sides to any story (hence my post to bring to your attention the video). Yes, it's the same guy in both videos. I heard that he violated the lockdown. But then you see the police officers taking away his mobile, asking him to drop something into the bin (looks like cash) and mercilessly beating him up while he is pleading with them is not going to increase public trust in the Police force.

Unfortunately, the Police force doesn't seem to grasp a simple thing (at least the ones on the ground don't seem to) that if the public gets fed up of them then there is not much they can do.

As I said, initially even I supported the police in this instance but I am not sure of that anymore.

Originally Posted by poloman

People should stop going out for trivial things and Police should issue pass for essential services personnel. Problem solved.

Agreed wholeheartedly. If this exercise was taken up promptly in the beginning people would have even less excuses to go out.

[Sankar]

Kollam Sub Collector flees home quarantine and lockdown to his native in UP

https://english.manoramaonline.com/n...ronavirus.html

Why blame only common man if he can't sit at home.

[JithinR]

This is another point of concern that I have. The authorities seem to be releasing too much PII (personally identifiable information) about people under home quarantine.

Source : https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pu...w/74798816.cms

In a country like ours it would definitely lead to an entire family being ostracized. I supported the idea of having the home quarantined guys stamped since all they had to do was stay at home but this is too much.

Besides, a lot of these guys might turn out to be negative but even after the mandatory 14 day quarantine period they would face harrassment from our fellow enlightened citizens.

[Lobogris]

I don’t see why so many people are defending the police and criticizing those putting forth evidence of abuse. Even if we accept that 99% of the police are doing a great job, which is very unlikely, even the 1% abusing their power deserve to be criticized, brought to justice and dismissed from service if merited. We can’t excuse a crime by stating that many other people are law abiding. Do we defend a thief by saying that the other 99% people are honest? There have been multiple and very public reports of the police openly resorting to beating the public all across India. There isn’t much we can do right now as we are in an emergency situation but at the very least, we can not accept it as a normal behavior. No one is asking for the entire police force to be sacked or disciplined. So why criticize the condemnation of those who are clearly shown abusing their power? Yes, the police has a hard job. It is difficult for them but surely they and the government must have planned how they would enforce this lockdown? Was beating people up their main way of enforcing it? Desperate times call for desperate measures but it should be within the law. They can make mass jails out of stadiums and other empty buildings like schools and have buses lying empty transport the violators there. I am sure being kept overnight in detention would be a deterrent for most people. However this would require some work while swinging a cane is easy.
In some ways it goes back to my point about the futility of this lockdown and the secrecy and urgency displayed in its commencement. The government should have clearly stated what the graded response would be and given people a few days to stock up provisions, close their businesses in an orderly manner and generally get ready as much as possible.

[ron_9191]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

I am having conflicting thoughts on this lockdown.
...

I have to say Lobogris, this has been by far the most sensible criticism of what looks like a complete disaster in the making by next week. The reason being almost all of the shops, the supplies for FMCG are running out. And while the supermarkets are making a profit out of it, I really have to appreciate the men and women who are there in the midst of all this covered with a low quality face mask and a pair of gloves. I pray nothing happens to them. What I wanted to add to your point is the fact that essential supplies come from a long way regardless of where you are in the country and they either come to you on a truck or as freight on a train. All we are left with are the stocks that were in the shops on the day the announcement was made by the PM. Which simply means they will run out soon. What happens then is going to be utter chaos I am 100% sure about that.

The one important thing I disapprove of the current leadership in the country is the fact that decision making has literally gone down the drain. The currency note ban, the introduction of the new 2000 rupee notes to what we are all experiencing now. This time around though, I agree with the lock down, what I don't is the way it has been implemented. Lets be realistic, how many of us have faced a lock down like what we are going through now. I am fortunate to have the internet and read about what I should and should't do and I am privileged to call myself educated. The common person on the street however, his ultimate aim is to put food on the plate for his loved ones by doing what he knows best. How on earth will he accept the fact that he is restricted by force and brutality? I think in times like these, there is something that the cops are supposed to do and that is to protect the law and not become it. There has been no guidelines laid out for the common person, they simply do not know the seriousness of it at all.

Let me give you an example, I ventured out today to get some vegetables as well as groceries and toiletries if I could find a shop, and luckily I did. However, I saw a family on a 2 wheeler with their daughter who might be just 2 years old having no mask no nothing and both the father and mother are covered in masks. I asked them why on earth are they here with the kid when they know they are not supposed to go to crowded places, the answer he wanted to save the trip to drop his wife and child at home! That is our common person for you... absolutely zero common sense, and to add to the lack of common sense, we have a lock down has no guidelines.

Although I understand the intention of it and commend our honorable PM for taking a bold step for 1.3 billion people, I feel there should be follow ups strictly on the media in all forms ie print, social, web, radio and visual and this should be made compulsory instead of playing commercials which is anyways useless in these times, it will be way better if TV channels took a step to use the time it plays commercials to educate people. I cannot understand why they cannot do it, no matter what the reason is.

@lobogris, really want to thank you for your brilliant comments on this, I thought I will add my 2 cents to it. And whoever is reading this and feel I am against a person, political party or leadership, I am not. We have the right to criticize and in this situation if the criticism bears fruit, it is a win for the entire country.

[dearchichi]

I don't understand the timeline of the lockdown when India does not/is not scaling its testing facilities to check every suspected carrier and aggressively contact-trace those he/she was in contact with (as was done in South Korea, but without the shutdown perhaps due to their lower population and prior experiences with epidemics). Unless these are out of circulation of the populace by the 14th, the lockdown cannot be lifted.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

I don’t see why so many people are defending the police and criticizing those putting forth evidence of abuse. Even if we accept that 99% of the police are doing a great job, which is very unlikely, even the 1% abusing their power deserve to be criticized, brought to justice and dismissed from service if merited. We can’t excuse a crime by stating that many other people are law abiding. Do we defend a thief by saying that the other 99% people are honest?

This is the strangest argument I have seen in a long time. What most of us are doing is defending the 99% who are being judged by the actions of 1%. We are judging the police force by what most of them are doing. It is even scientific.

When a medicine is being tested, if it is effective for 99% of patients and harmful (say allergic reaction) to the 1%, can you guess the verdict of such a test? You may find it unbelievable, but the scientists will deem that medicine to be very effective since it is close to 3-sigma.

When the 1% is misbehaving, those should be identified using the video and punished by applicable law. What you should not do is blame the entire 100% for the actions of 1%.