Not always the law keepers!

Power Misuse

The state of corruption and bureaucracy is deplorable throughout the country. Therefore it is no surprise that Bangalore, being the metropolitan city that it is, also faces its share of authorities misusing their power. 

The youth here frequently encounter cops who openly ask for bribes, harass couples for any public display of affection and even threaten citizens in their own homes. Sachin Vijayapuram, a student, recalls an incident he witnessed recently. “I had my exams and was studying till late in the night. I went to the balcony and heard some commotion on the main road. Two cops on a Cheetah had caught a taxi driver who was walking back home. They were badgering him and trying to make some money out of him. 
One of the cops slapped the driver twice, who just kept asking why he was being hit when he had done nothing wrong. They even threatened to take him to the station. Then one of the constables saw me on the balcony and had the audacity to say ‘what are you doing awake at this time? Go inside and sleep’. I replied that it was my house and I’d sit wherever I wanted and sleep whenever I wanted. He then made the poor guy sit in between him and the other cop and rode off somewhere,” shares Sachin. "

Rishabh Nolakha, a resident of VV Puram, says that he’s been threatened by cops twice because of his beard. “The first incident happened a few weeks ago when I was returning from a party. I knew I was tipsy and decided to take a rickshaw. While looking for one, two cops came and started questioning me. They asked me various personal questions, which was not required. When I asked why he wanted to know so many things, he got aggressive, pulled out a stick and started hitting me. Then a senior officer came and when I explained what had happened, he started abusing my parents.

He asked me to shave my beard and I said I wouldn’t. Then he said he will strip me naked, shave my head and beard and make me walk on streets. I was fined Rs 700 for public nuisance without any receipt. He told me that if I wanted a receipt, I had to pay Rs 2,000. I had to walk home from JP Nagar to VV Puram because I got looted by civilised goons,” recalls the 21-year-old. Nakul M Dev, a professional, says that he encountered a drunk cop recently.

 “I was stopped by a drunk cop for taking my own bike from a parking lot in the night. I was with a girl and he started asking us where we lived and if our parents know that we’re out so late. The smell of alcohol was fuming from his breath but he told me to go the station or surrender my bike. When I objected and asked what my fault was, he asked for my bike documents, which I gave. Then he called another constable to sort the issue. The second cop questioned and I answered. Meanwhile, the drunk cop, who was now swaying, tried to scoot with my bike. Thankfully, the sober cop was sensible enough to return it to me and I left immediately after that,” he shares.

Women too have faced bad experiences. Speaking anonymously, a source says, “Cops today are a mixed bag of people — there are some who are extremely helpful and some who give a bad name to everyone. Some cops even look at women in a bad way — the stares they give are disgusting and it’s hard to believe that they’re the ones protecting us. Even when one is fully dressed and not showing skin, they stare. When our so-called protectors are like this, you can imagine the criminals. There has to be some drastic change to make us feel secure.”