Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Street Experiences (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/)

-   -   Mistake by me, but big Mistake by a Traffic COP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/99162-mistake-me-but-big-mistake-traffic-cop-4.html)

Let me be clear at the outset, I am not fond of what dreams has done.

But here's a thought. After what the SI did and later dreams did to him, what are the chances the SI and his entourage will be even SLIGHTLY more responsible towards their duties??

The next time the SI wants to pull over someone for speeding or talks to someone he has caught, he MIGHT just wonder if he is doing it right; if he has a speed gun etc. Agreed the reasoning is wrong but the SI might just realize he can't fool around with his job.

Just a tiny possibility. The process is wrong but the end result might just be fruitful.

Problem is - in India, ego takes precedence over responsibility. So, it takes someone with a higher ego and power to back it to make the other one understand. Completely terrible logic but what-to-do, it happens only in India! :D

Every sane person that has at least a bit of self respect would agree with you. I believe, apparently, this was what had triggered the OP too. I won't say the OP wais right or wrong. For all my life, I have seen only one traffic police man in India that treated a traffic-offender as a human-being. My general attitude towards them is well-you-know-what-that-is!

I been a biker, drove across states and been held up obviously, sometimes fairly (being RD350), sometimes unfairly.

What I have learnt is that traffic cops do look for small collections (bribe) and at times sincere (mostly when its nakabandi)

But what plays an important role here is the attitude.

Most of the times I end up paying not even a penny just by talking to them (ofcourse you should have ample time for that)

At times I have paid the fine for what I have done wrong.

All I understand is that approach them with a smile (if it is not your mistake), keep it cool and know your basic rights.

If it is your mistake than obviously you have to pay for it ( unless asked for bribe or have influencial people around you).

One thing which I have learnt and would like to share, "when the chalan is being prepared, dont get frighten coz a cop carries 2 copies of it. One just for records which is discarded if you pay them what they ask for".

1. Keep Liscense, Insurance and PUC handy
2. Wear helmet if applicable in your city
3. Dont park in No Parking zones
4. Have atleast a right hand rear view mirror on bike
5. No triplets
6. Avoid Over speeding in zones which are suceptible to speed guns

I guess these 6 things if taken care of, even if you are caught by cops looking for bribe, should not lead to hole in your pocket.

@about touching someone's bike,
Well, it depends on the owner's possessiveness to it.
I remember, once in our RD group, one of the RD owner rested his foot with shoe on front mudguard of his own bike and the other memeber hit him on his head saying, "izzat kar, RD hai" (respect the bike, its RD).

You are an army guy, dreams is a VAC guy. I am a poor little inconsequential guy. What do I do?

Probably join Anna Hazare.

All this for a paltry 200 bucks. "Penny wise pound foolish." as we call it.

+1 to that!

Here's how it works - either be someone big/influential or know someone big/influential.

Else, shut up and be their (the female of a dog)! Sad but true. You'll find 1 out of 10 cops who'll check for what is necessary and let you go.

Here's what happened to me once - 6 of us, on 3 bikes were heading to Turtle beach (60km from Manipal) at about 2am. Just before Kundapura, there was police nakabandi, there always is. Once we told the cops we were from Manipal University, they checked our DL and let us go. That simple.

Now a group of my friends had gone for a similar thing a week ago. They were asked to stop, they didn't and what followed was the typical filmi cop chase.

Sometimes, the attitude you have when you approach the cops makes the difference!

@libranof1987
I guess you also had a bitter experience as described in the log;
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post2291259

As I stated, its all about how you are approached and how you deal with it. As rightly said, in India, anyone even with a little influence/position would come over to bite but if handled calmly, chances are that situation becomes manageable.

No, I am not an army guy, just a normal civillian, my friend is in army. But he too didn't gave his association / position till things went overboard. We were being shouted upon without any fault of ours and even though we had followed the instructions of SI; our documents were in place. My friend simply asked whether can we leave and that too only after waiting for almost 10mins for nothing.

If there is a commotion/accident, people peek and leave.
If you are in the commotion/accident, you will get angry on seeing people peek and leave.

Translating a Tamil proverb here,
People will feel the pain of Vomit and Dysentery only when they experience it.

This is India.

Dot

clap: Thats what I have been implying all the while.

Not really, be rationale. You should know your rights and the rules. No one can make you pay for what you have not done.

Overspeeding and helmetless will be fined on the spot. Not carrying papers you can take a challan and show the papers at the police station. The cop cannot fine you for not carrying the papers at the time of being caught.

Hold on to your dignity in such situations. You don't need to wrestle the pig.

No where did I say you folks were wrong with what you did. But having your friend around gave you the belief that you could stand up against the cop.

What about the others who were caught? I could be one amongst them.

Not really Spitfire. One must choose who he wants to be i.e. a mommy/daddy's boy or himself.

If I were in Dre@ms situation, i would've paid fine and gotten away asap. My dad will throw me out of the house if I ever try to use his name. My dad is a bureaucrat but has been very strict with us kids to refrain from even mere mention of his name/position anywhere. I strongly feel parents should let children to handle things themselves without stepping in unless some GRAVE incident has happened.

@Dreams: No offence meant. Just my thoughts.

I didn't find one bit of misconduct with the SI (except maybe the speed gun bit if that is correct). Actually, it is great to see one who has ensured you payed the fine despite all your 'connections'. I don't see he asked you for a bribe (you assumed it from the Scorpio - did you see it happen?). And I would push you aside too if you repeatedly leaned over my car, especially if I am an officer and prefer you to be serious and not casually fiddle with my car handles while you are being challaned.

By your own admission you were in the wrong. You are the son of the a high officer and should be careful about the law more than everyone else.

A lot of the stuff you have on the thread (getting him in a bribery case etc.) can land you and all of your VAC contacts in trouble! Some rules may even have been flouted in letting you in and letting you use the VAC bike there.

@cosmos
No pal. I too agree. But situation is the decision maker.

@Glass
Wonderful pal. I insist you read all the pages and then comment.

Dot

Mine did it. He threw me out when I asked some help in getting a job through influence in Goa itself. He packed me off to Bangalore to fend for myself the very next day.

Slightly OFF-TOPIC:
There you go!! Similar thing happened to me. But I asked dad to use his influence to get me 8th semester project from DRDO, a friend of mine suggested me to ask him. I was blatantly asked to find one using my core-competencies and caliber or my lecturer's recommendation. Ever since then I've come all this way by myself.