Bhubaneswar: Ever since the new Motor Vehicles Act came into force, police across the country have been slapping hefty fines on people for violating traffic rules. But it’s not just the public who is facing the music for not following rules, the law enforcement officials are also being forced to answer for violating rules.
Such a case has happened in Bhubaneswar on Friday here where tensions flared up as the public sought relevant papers from PCR vehicles despite the Commissionerate Police not collecting fines for “pollution under control (PUC) certificates, insurance papers under the new traffic rules.
Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse an angry mob who stopped one of its vehicles and asked the cops engaged in checking vehicles under the new traffic rules near Rajmahal Square here and asked them to produce documents.
The aggrieved people gheraoed the traffic police personnel and asked them to show documents of their (police) van and also wanted to know on what morality they were collecting fines by parking their vehicles on road disrupting traffic movements.
Tension ran high as the police personnel refused to do so and went on collecting fines instead.
As per reports, the Commissionerate Traffic police was conducting checking as part of the new MV Act at Rajmahal Square. At around 1 pm, they stopped a car being driven by a woman and slapped fine for not wearing seat belt. However, the woman argued that she did wear the seat belt. And an argument ensued and locals gathered on the spot in large numbers.
They gheraoed the on-duty police personnel and wanted to know the see the documents of the vehicle and the licence of the driver. They also alleged that police are showing soft corner to Government vehicles. In the meantime, a BMC vehicle that was passing through the stretch invited the mob ire. The driver fled from the spot leaving the vehicle on the middle of the road.
After police failed to show the documents to public, it angered the mob.
On being informed, Commissioner of Police Sudhanshu Sarangi, DCP Anup Sahoo rushed to the spot along with 20 platoons of police force. Later, police also resorted to latchicharge to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police advised people not to get worry and said that police are now looking five violations – three people riding the motorcycle, helmets, riding against traffic flow, drunk driving and use of mobile phone during driving.
