Q: What should you do with the Traffic Cops in Mumbai?
A: Line ‘em up on the highway & drive over ‘em
Seriously. Because they’re a useless and corrupt lot. Ok, there are a couple who aren’t, but I’m talking about the general attitude of the lot.
Case in Study: Me. Today.
Problem: Apparently I was speeding down the Sea Link Road.
Now, I have been known to like fast cars (and loud music and also men with leather jackets who ride big phoren bikes too, but that’s irrelevant right now) so I gave the cop who flagged me down the benefit of the doubt.
What Mel did: So I ask Pandu #1 how fast I was going. He has no idea. But he insists I was over the speed limit. I’m feeling a little rebellious now. How do you know?? I ask him. He talks into his lil black walkie talkie and asks the other cop on the other side of the road (which is fair enough since it’s a wide road) how fast I was going. Dude tells him, about 70. (Fyi, the speed limit on the link road is a ridiculous 60 kph, but let’s move on).
What Mel saw: I notice that the guy who Pandu #1 is talking to also does not have the gun thingie (by which they measure speed) in his hands. I also notice that there are several other traffic cops, all randomly flagging down cars (presumably by the skill they have acquired to know precisely when a car is over the speed limit).
What Mel felt: I’m a little annoyed at this point as I can’t stand to be had. Ok, fair enough if you catch me speeding or if you can prove to me I was speeding, I’ll pay. I’m also annoyed at the number of cars these guys are just flagging down, one after the other & just collecting money (official or otherwise, one can’t be sure, this is Mumbai) - how can these guys conduct an official speed testing without any tools???
Meanwhile: By this point, I had given Pandu #1 my license and told him I’d pay whatever the fine was (INR 200/- fyi) only if he could give me an official receipt. He takes my license and wanders off to consult with Pandu #2.
What Mel said: So I got out of my car, crossed the road and told Pandu #2 that this was quite ridiculous. How could they just stop cars all over & demand fines if they had no way of proving that they were defaulting the rules? Incidentally, I was quite calm and collected, as most people are when talking to traffic cops.
However: Pandu #2 had a BIG mouth (as you can see from the following picture). He began yelling at me loudly to “Just Shut Up” and “Go sit in your car” (in broken English, almost as bad as my broken Hindi) and began pointing his finger at me in a most demeaning fashion.
Seriously, I am annoyingly nice most times, but behave this way with me & see the vixen in me emerge.
I told him he had no right to yell at me. I was anyway going to pay the fine, what right had he to shout and scream, point his finger at me & yell?
He continues to yell some more (in faster Hindi/Marathi? than I could follow) but it was something about him having a beti & bahu at home who’d never talk to him like I was! Though I feel for the two creatures, that wasn’t going to stop me.
“Don’t yell”, I persisted.
He persisted yelling.
I finally crossed the road, went back into my car, got my phone out & started taking pictures.
Pandu #1 is suitably subdued by this point. But Pandu #2 is even more enraged. He starts yelling at me to “publish the pictures in Mid-Day - I don’t care, let’s see what you can do” and similar things.
What Mel concluded: He’s right (not that I let him know I realise that). There is nothing I can do. These guys can yell, scream at us, demand fines at their own whims and there’s nothing we can do. They have no respect for any driver as they’re too used to people sweet talking to them in the hopes of getting away without the fine. All the sweet talk only adds to their arrogance.
I know there’s nothing I can do - except perhaps share my story here & urge more people not to give in to the arrogance of these people. If you’re in the wrong, pay your fine (which incidentally I did) but do not attempt to sweet talk / bribe them or you’re only adding to the problem.
What Mel also acknowledges: Obviously (hopefully) all traffic cops are not like the ones I described. I feel for them standing in the hot sun, probably underpaid, breathing in fumes, trying to earn their living. I feel for them on the big public holidays when they have to work and control our city’s crazy crowded traffic.
But I also think they can learn to respect people and not treat them like crap because they have the power to do so.
SO: Perhaps we needn’t line all the traffic cops in Mumbai on the highway for us to drive over. Perhaps just this one. And a few more that spring to mind.
Tags: Arrogance, Corruption, Mumbai, Police, Power, Speeding, Traffic-Cops
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May 25th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
it’s amazing you managed to get thier pics !! you should really send them to mid-day !!! extremely camera friendly cops i must say …
May 25th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
If only you had read Metblogs Mumbai a day before you would have realized that there are speed traps galore in the city and you need to slow down.
Here is the article
And on the same note….here is a different perspective on cops.
I think taking pics was cool.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Not sure how I’d go about giving this to Mid-Day however.
@ Arzan: It was not so much about getting caught / paying a fine - I’m agreeing if that’s the rule, it should be done. I’m talking about the attitude of the cops here - how they get away with being unbelievably arrogant and how none of us seemingly can do anything about it.
Thx for the article links, will read.
May 25th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
I would have done the same if i were in your position.. maybe made a video of the pandu shouting and put it on youtube for people to see
never the less, great job!
May 25th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Well, it is not only cops who have this attitude… I know a friend of mine who got twice on the same day by traffic cops and his line was “Thoda aisa price boliye jo aapke liye bhi accha ho aur humare liye bhi.” and gave both the cops bribes. It is sick but true…
May 25th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Then again, his broken English & my broken Hindi would have made hell of a funny clip!!
@ Born a Libran: Actually not just your friend, almost everyone in Mumbai does that. Which is why these guys are so arrogant. They’re used to people trying to sweet talk / bribe them.
The only way we will all get respect is if we all treat the law with respect.
May 26th, 2007 at 2:23 am
well melody so what happened? did u pay the Rs. 200 fine and did they give you a receipt?
May 26th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
I once almost beat up a pandu here for talking rudely to me and refusing a receipt - quickly realized that I’d end up in the slammer and they’d surely pulp me afer that, so I desisted and took his details down and submitted them at the anti-corruption bureau.
But man, was I frikkin angry then - I bellowed back at him in my best jaat-haryanvi peppered with gaalis he’d never understand and that was nice.
Mid-day has email-ids - just mail them the pics and a short write-up. the second pic is a winner.
May 26th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Dear Mel : You sure have the guts to argue with a sub-inspector, congratulations!! Cops are scared of journalists. They do not however have the right to yell at you.
Regarding the speed limits, if you are in the the business it is not very difficult to judge the speed.
May 27th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
@ Raccoon: Good you didn’t end up beating the guy up - would surely haven’t been good for you!
@ Lancy: I actually can’t stand people who take advantage of their power, true they have the right to fine me if I’m in the wrong - but as you say they definitely do not have any right to yell. These guys need a thorough lesson on respect.
May 28th, 2007 at 1:58 am
Whoa! Now, this is a post really close to my heart - Cops, corruption and anti-authority!
What you did takes a lot of courage to do Mel’. It also makes me wonder if I could ever gather the courage to talk to a cop like that.
What irritates me more is to see a lot of educated people paying bribes to get away from things.
I was totally startled to see close-up pictures of those idiots in this post. No hesitation, just click-click… I wonder whether it is “legal” to go clickety-click in all situations like this. Can the other person allege you of clicking pictures without consent?
You really ought to post this up some news-paper. Btw, are you a journalist by profession?
Speaking of that “beti bahu” talk, it sucks when elders patronize us like that. Just coz they’re older doesn’t mean they are right. If they want our respect they ought to earn it..
Well, I could go on.. told you, this one is a issue close to my heart! But the comment is turning out rather long.
Happy driving!
May 28th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
hello..
stumbled upon your journal..
i remember a frnd of mine who paid a sum of Rs. 1100(no helmet+ no papers+ no license) just because he was not corrupt and wanted a reciept. though its good, i call it stupidity. moreover if he’s that law abiding he could have got a helmet, license and papers after the incident, but no!, he drives around the same . stupid hypocrite.
May 29th, 2007 at 2:56 am
Great post and I applaud your guts. I had two similar experiences — the first time, I was driving my sister’s car and she had not got the smog test done, and the second time when I got on the cell phone while driving to tell the person at the other end that I was driving and would call them back. I was let off both times because I said I was ready to pay the fine. The lazy cops did not want the hassle of confiscating my license and having me pay the fine in the police station or writing out the receipt. I’ve concluded that the best way to avoid paying the fine is to agree to pay the fine at once.
I had a not so pleasant experience at the police station a month ago which I’ve written about on the following page:
http://babunation.blogspot.com.....us_09.html
May 29th, 2007 at 9:43 am
“Speaking of that “beti bahu” talk, it sucks when elders patronize us like that. Just coz they’re older doesn’t mean they are right. If they want our respect they ought to earn it..”
Couldn’t agree with you more! The last line you wrote is something I often say myself.
Am not a journalist, though I do freelance write. Perhaps one day?
@ virgo: Agree with you that if one is law abiding, then one wouldn’t go around flaunting the rules.
Am surprised though, that you call him your friend & stupid hypocrite in the same breath?!
@ Babu Nation: I don’t think it’s laziness, it’s because of corruption. Most times these guys do not have receipt books and are not allowed to take the fine. However they will take a bribe if offered & many do offer!
It would be good to remember though that these are just generalizations, perhaps the cops who let you go were actually being sensitive to your case? We can hope!
PS: Thx for the link, will read!
June 1st, 2007 at 10:02 pm
hmm i take it for granted that u dont greet new people ..
btw u possibly dont mean i cant make stupid hypocrites as my frnds do u? or do u mean once he is my frnd no matter how stupid hypocrite he may be, i shouldnt address him that way? when both stupidity(paying 1100) and hypocrisy(not following law) are clearly evident how does my breath come into picture
June 2nd, 2007 at 1:03 am
“or do u mean once he is my frnd no matter how stupid hypocrite he may be, i shouldnt address him that way?”
Er, yes? I don’t think I’d refer to my friends as such. Though possibly your friend could learn a thing or two from you. Possibly
PS: Babu Nation: If you’re reading, welcome to TVIMH too
Have been forgetful!
June 2nd, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Thanks for the welcome.
About the cops, you’re right! The constables are not allowed to collect the fine. But I am under no illusion that they are sensitive to my cause. They are corrupt and lazy and would rather not waste their time on someone like me when they can catch someone else who might be quite willing to pay the fine. I found it very ironical that I get hassled less than people who pay a bribe since the rationale given for bribing is that it helps avoid hassles, saves time, etc.
I heard about the blog meet in Mumbai and would have loved to come but unfortunately I am out of the country until June 18.
June 2nd, 2007 at 9:54 pm