[SDP]

Originally Posted by srishiva

If Police keep shooting at people throwing stones (even at them) we would have hundreds of deaths everyday in India. ...

No, we won't. We would have possibly a few hundred in the first week. All hell would break loose in the media that week. But by the end of that week, everybody in India would come to know and understand what happens when you throw a stone at a law-enforcement officer.

Next week, the number would come down to a few tens.
My guess is, in about couple of months, people would learn (the hard way), what is appropriate behavior when dealing with law-enforcement entities.

I am actually looking forward to that day.

[jfxavier]

Here is the account from the man who recorded the event.
Apparently, the policeman in question is not a saint either.

Kamal Kant, who shot the three-minute video of the traffic policeman attacking the woman, said that he wanted to "expose the corrupt officer," who had earlier tortured his fellow driver and also extorted a bribe from him. A resident of the Zamrudpur locality, Kamal works as driver for a Supreme Court lawyer. He was going to Golf Links to collect a file when he saw the incident and recorded it on his phone.
According to him the woman with two kids on the scooty crossed the signal when it was green, but the policeman caught her claiming that she had jumped the red light. The woman asked the cop to issue challan but he demanded a bribe of Rs 200. When the woman refused to pay she was pulled by the cop.
Seeing this, he started recording the incident.
To resist, the woman picked up a stone but in return cop threw a brick on her and then he tried to flee. Kant claimed that the cop tried to escape from the spot, but the woman stopped him, and passersby came to help.

http://m.indiatimes.com/news/india/t...em-232606.html

[Abhi99]

Not trying to justify the uncivilized behavior of either of the parties, but if we relook at the facts –

1. Lady broke a traffic rule and was stopped by a Cop
2. She wasn’t carrying the documents
3. She still insisted on leaving and this made Cop to try and take out the keys; leading to their quarrel.

While this can be dissected in several different angles, I would like to highlight the options Cop has when public refuses to follow orders. Throwing a brick is certainly not acceptable.

There was a similar incident that I witnessed at Meerut (West UP) few weeks back. There was this Cop who tried to stop this scooty rider for what looked like a routine check of the papers. The guy refused to stop and tried to drive past the Cop. Not sure what this Cop did, next thing I saw that the rider stopped and yelled at the poor Cop at top of his lungs. He went on abusing the poor Cop for some time and none around did anything to try and defuse the situation. What was more surprising was that there were 2 more Cops on the other side of the road but they made absolutely no effort to come to this poor guys help. This incident made me think on what options does traffic cop has if anyone refuses to listen to them? Are they authorized to seize the vehicle? Are they authorized to make arrests? If not, then are they empowered enough to carry their duty with dignity?

I welcome the decision to dismiss the cop involved in the Delhi case, but if this Woman was indeed trying to flee, what options does this guy have to try and stop her?

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Kamal Kant, who shot the three-minute video of the traffic policeman attacking the woman, said that he wanted to "expose the corrupt officer," who had earlier tortured his fellow driver and also extorted a bribe from him.

Aha so I assumed correct, the woman's story told to the media wasn't all wrong. There must've been a really big trigger pressed by the cop to anger her enough to pick up a stone. I'm still saying she should've kept her cool, but its the cop who actually made her the bulls-eye for the brick he threw, inexcusable.

At the end of the day I'm not sure why Indian police cannot smile or talk politely to us citizens, why must they be so uptight and treat minor traffic violations as major crimes? I'm not saying this with respect to this case, that is left to the eyewitness details and views of the aggressor & responder. I believe if cops in India tune their general attitude to be a bit more friendly & understanding the public might change too. Dealing with various motorists is no piece of cake but it doesn't warrant high handedness or rough talk. Just issue the ticket on the spot or send it to the concerned address. To discipline the motorists they can even bring another rule into the book that if one escapes when flagged down the penalty will be +500Rs. extra. I feel this is useful because sometimes motorists may escape because they aren't carrying documents/licence and they do not want the cops to find out.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Though you seem to be stating just a fact - I feel you are endorsing what the US is doing.

I have to take an anti-Yoda position here. Don't feel, just ask whether I am endorsing. I do follow US news regularly and I am extremely alarmed by the number of police shootings that occur there. I am extremely glad that all our cops don't carry heat and are not allowed to shoot at the slightest provocation even when they do.

Originally Posted by reverse_gear

Maybe. Or maybe not. Here's another link from the same source (this list is supposedly an incomplete one):

I intentionally posted the incomplete list for May, just to show how many fatal shootings happened in the first half of the month.

For people who are still not clear about what I said... I am neither endorsing the trigger happy US cops nor the brick throwing Indian cop. I just stated the vast difference between the tactics of Indian and US cops while under threat of violence. The woman got off easy being in India.

[esteem_lover]

Guess we'll never know the exact sequence of events.

Our cops need to be sensitized on handling traffic law offenders. These brutal methods of striking with the lathi, pulling out the keys, hiding behind a tree and jumping in front of a moving vehicle asking the driver to stop. Also I don't understand why a cop needs to hide and wait for an offense to be committed and then fine the offender instead of holding his position which would deter motorists from breaking the law.

[Chetan_Rao]

Neither side was justified in how it acted, valid reasons or not.

Traffic police needs to be better equipped (better equipment, fairer work conditions, better training) and citizens need to learn how to respect the law, which given how lawless we are in India is going to take some drastic steps to implement, bricks NOT being one.

Both sides behaved despicably and neither is innocent, so I don't see why special provisions should be made while prosecuting either. An offender's gender should have no bearing on the offence, cop or citizen.

[Anand3553]

It is evident from the responses that most of the members sympathize the constable and feel that he was over punished. I think otherwise. I do agree that the lady is wrong too and she should be punished as well. But the difference between the two is that the constable is the one responsible for upholding the law of our country. He should have handled the situation better, he simply made a mockery of the police force by retaliating like a thug.

I work in the IT industry. If I imagine a similar situation in my work, what would happen if I abuse my client verbally because he did the same to me? I would sure be jobless the next day because I am supposed to be respectful to the client while on official duty no matter what. I signed up for that. I cannot defend myself saying that I worked 18 hours a day for the entire month and I was stressed.

What if the constable has to work 12+ hours a day, he signed up for it. He knew at the time of joining the force that he will have to work and over work most of the days. It is not just a job, he is doing a service, a very responsible one at that. If he was not ready to do this kind of a job, he should have found some other job. Nobody went to him and requested to join the Police force, he applied, and he joined after agreeing to all terms and conditions.

The above points are the same for each member of our Police force. Anyone who had an encounter with a cop on the street would know how harsh and disrespectful most of them generally are. He cannot defend being disrespectful by saying that he works overtime and stands in blistering heat all day – not my problem. It is his problem and he has to handle it, if he can’t, resign and find something else.

In a nutshell, I think that the punishment slapped on the cop is well deserved, simply because he did exactly what he was not supposed to do being in the police force. The lady should be given due punishment as well.


PS: All these are my viewpoints only, I could very well be wrong.

Thanks
Anand

[noopster]

It's shocking...though hardly surprising...that major channels like Times Now showed the incident in a much different light. Juicy sound bites from the young daughter about how "policeman uncle" bunged a brick at her poor Mom and what not. Plus repeated footage of the cop caught in the act, leading everyone to believe that it was he who was the aggressor. Sigh!

Some people are saying the cop had no right to hurl the brick back at the lady. They're right, though, in the US, he might have just shot her and be perfectly within his rights to do so as well.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I blame the brick.

Whoever left it there should be prosecuted.

[wheeledsoul]

Similar scenario in a western nation, the cop would have tasered the "offender" and would have carried on with his duties.

Thank god there's only one "R. Knob Go Swami". Though I do admit, he is good at times.

[Samurai]

Let's not compare apple to orange.

Originally Posted by Anand3553

I work in the IT industry. If I imagine a similar situation in my work, what would happen if I abuse my client verbally because he did the same to me? I would sure be jobless the next day because I am supposed to be respectful to the client while on official duty no matter what. I signed up for that.

You may have signed up for taking abuse from the customer. But police are never told or expected to take abuse from law breaking citizens. Especially not physical abuse. Attacking the police in any country can get you arrested, the IT industry example notwithstanding.

[simplyself]

Originally Posted by reverse_gear

I disagree. The policeman needs to show gender sensitivity. It's absolutely improper to use physical violence against women, when they are not threatening your life. This is what is expected, and there are constitutional provisions that protect women in this regard.

The issue of traffic & other violations by the lady is a different matter, and the police should take action and deal with that separately. But that is no excuse for the cop's behaviour.

Cop is wrong, no doubt about it. My point is, was lady booked for attacking the constable, for the alleged traffic violations? If not, why not?

Law is applicable in equal measures to all, after all.

[Tassem]

Objectively speaking, it's the brick's fault for lying around. Going by the recent wave of logic, in the brick's absence, NONE of the events wound have transpired.

Re-enacted scenario:

1. Lady Jumps Signal or rides with three people onboard or whatever.
2. Cops sees opportunity, stops her, allegedly asks for bribe.
3. Lady throws hands up in air, bribes, asks for reciept.
4. Things heat up. Mortal Kombat music begins to fade in.
5. Lady looks around for a weapon.
6. Policeman looks around for a weapon.
7. Guy recording the video looks around for a weapon.
8. Uncomfortable silence.
9. People go home.
10. Video deleted. Try again tomorrow.

See? I say ban all bricks.


Jokes aside, things are bound to happen in a frustrated country where it's fine to break a law as long as you're willing to pay for it. In cash of course.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I blame the brick.

Originally Posted by Tassem

See? I say ban all bricks.

Originally Posted by Tassem

...it's fine to break a law...

Originally Posted by simplyself

...was lady booked for attacking the constable, for the alleged traffic violations? If not, why not?

We are proud of you. Delhi needs citizens like you. So says Delhi's Chief Minister to the lady who bricked no nonsense. She will never be penalized for the traffic violations - ever. The next time she's stopped for a traffic violation, she's just got to show the cops a pic of an epic brick and the CM's phone number saved on her mobile. Voilà, with the CM batting for her, such brick-batting incidents won't happen again.

Citizens like me are not proud of sharing the roads and the city of Delhi with citizens like these.