On December 11, Deputy Commissioner of Police North East Division, Bengaluru City, replied to a Tweet thread describing an incident alleging that Bengaluru Police personnel ‘extorted’ money from a couple for walking on the road late at night. DCP Anoop A Shetty categorically said that there are no restrictions on roaming around at night.
Earlier, replying to Twitter user Karthik Patri who had written about his ordeal, DCP Shetty thanked him for bringing the matter to his notice and promised the officers behind the alleged incidents will face strict action.
Karthik and his wife were stopped for walking on the road after midnight
On December 9, Karthik Patri, a resident of the society behind Manyata Tech Park in Bengaluru, was coming back with his wife at around 12:30 AM from his friend’s place. When he was about to enter his society gate, a pink Hoysala patrol van stopped them, and two police personnel asked them to show IDs.
Karthik said though none of them was carrying the IDs, they had digital copies of their Aadhaar in their mobile phones that they showed to the officers. To their surprise, their phones were taken away. He said, “To our surprise, they took our phones away and started quizzing us about our relationship, place of work, parental details, etc.”
The couple was not prepared for such an encounter, and to their shock, one of the police personnel took out a notepad that looked like a challan book and started writing their details. This was the point they realised they were in trouble.
When questioned why they were being challaned, the police official said, “You are not allowed to roam on the road after 11 PM.” Karthik resisted and questioned if any such rule existed. He said, “Is there such a rule? We are unaware of it.” The police officer shot back and said, “Literate people like you should know about such rules.”
The couple thought as it was late at night and their phones were confiscated, it was better to back down as they did not want a confrontation with police officials. They apologised and assured me it wouldn’t be repeated. However, the police officials allegedly refused to let them go and demanded Rs 3,000 as a penalty.
Karthik wrote, “It was clear as day that the two men (tragic if they were indeed policemen) were out to con unsuspecting civilians, and we ended up being their victims. We literally begged them to let us go, but they wouldn’t budge.”
He added, “The more we pleaded, the harsher they became, even threatening to arrest us. It was as if we were stuck in quicksand – the more we struggled, the deeper we sunk. This continued for a long time until the harassment became unbearable.”
The police officials allegedly showed them pictures of convicts and threatened them with consequences if they did not pay a fine. By that time, his wife was in tears. This was the point the police officials realised they had taken it too far. Karthik wrote, “Perhaps realising that they had pushed a woman too far and fearing the legal consequences, they changed tack.”
He added, “They said only I would be penalised. The man in the driving seat took me aside and advised that I pay a minimum amount to avoid further trouble. By now, I was mentally drained and exhausted, my wife was terribly distressed, and I didn’t want the ordeal to prolong even more.”
Karthik agreed to pay Rs 1,000, and a man in a police uniform immediately presently a PayTM QR code. After the payment was made, he allegedly warned if Karthik and his wife were ever seen walking on the at midnight, a strong case would be registered against them, and they would keep circling around the court.
He said, “We couldn’t sleep that night or focus on work the next day. The whole incident has left a deep scar on our minds. It has shaken our faith in the law-enforcement agencies.” Karthik questioned, “Is this not terrorism? Is this not legalised torture? Is this how honest, law-abiding citizens of this land are meant to be treated? If the protectors of law themselves break the law and prey on hapless citizens, whom do we turn to?”
However, the police has now clarified that there is no such rule and one must not make such payments. Police has also mentioned that they will identify the culprits and strict action will be taken against them.
OpIndia tried to contact Karthik and DCP Shetty but could not connect.
Update: Bengaluru City Police has informed via a tweet on Sunday, December 12 that two police personnel from Sampigehalli police station have been identified and suspended and departmental inquiry is currently underway.