Traffic police can be punished for flagging down vehicles

Cops warned

If the traffic police is found guilty he might even face departmental action.

Action against cops

Based on the motorists’ complaints, action was taken against more than 25 traffic police. Of the errant traffic police, nearly 15 were found to have flouted the fiat against flagging down vehicles to check documents. 

An officer attached to the K R Puram traffic police station was penalised following a complaint by a motorist and his salary increment was withheld.  In another case, a sub-inspector of Byatarayanapur traffic police was suspended for not depositing the fine  amount of Rs 50,000 collected from the motorists while checking the drunken driving cases.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Praveen Sood said the traffic police have been instructed not to flag down motorists for the sole pupose of checking their vehicle documents.

City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari said, unless the motorists have violated any traffic rule, the police have no authority to stop them. However, he noted it need not be construed that motorists   need not carry the vehicle documents with them.

The Department of Traffic has receivied several complaints about the traffic police stopping the vehicles suddenly leading to fatal accidents and the complaints have been considered seriously, Sood said.

The motorists have also complained about the traffic police flagging down their vehicles on the busy roads in the City. A motorist, Ramakant Rao said, “I have nearly missed ramming into a car on the Cubbon Road when a traffic police stopped the car abruptly for verifying the documents.

“If such an act of police is not stopped it can lead to fatal accidents,” he added.