Bengaluru: Two motorists assault traffic police officers, caught

BENGALURU: In two separate incidents, two traffic police officers, including a woman sub-inspector, were allegedly manhandled by motorists on Tuesday night under Chickpet and Rajajinagar traffic police limits.

Ms Durga, the woman sub-inspector attached to the Chickpet traffic police station who was assaulted, has filed a case with the Chickpet police after a 21-year-old motorist, Raju, pushed her while she was on duty at Cottonpet on Tuesday evening.

Ms Durga, who was regulating traffic in Cottonpet around 6.30 pm, intercepted Raju, a tailor and a resident of Kamakshipalya, as he was riding without a helmet. When she asked him to furnish the documents, he picked up a quarrel and she wrote a challan and asked the rider to handover the keys. But Raju pushed the woman SI and snatched her Blackberry, in which she was raising the violation.

The cop fell on the ground and immediately alerted the jurisdictional police, who rushed to the spot and arrested Raju. He, however, claimed that the woman SI assaulted him first. The case has bee transferred to Cottonpet law and order police station. Raju has been booked under Sections 332 and 353 of the IPC.

In another incident, an assistant sub-inspector attached to the Rajajinagar traffic police station was allegedly assaulted by a 22-year-old rider on Tuesday evening in Rajajinagar. The officer, Thimmaraippa, who was conducting a routine vehicle check around 8 pm on Raj Kumar Road, noticed a bike coming in the opposite direction of a one-way and stopped the rider.

The accused, Sharath (22), a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, was riding rashly, the police said. When Thimmariappa asked him to furnish the document, he attacked the officer with the helmet. A few passersby who saw the commotion rushed to the officer’s rescue and caught Sharath. The ASI alerted the jurisdictional police, who rushed to the spot and arrested Sharath.

The Rajajninagar police have booked the accused under Section 332 of IPC. The two accused were produced before a court and were remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.

DCP, Traffic (West), S. Girish said, “Such incidents have occurred earlier, but have hardly come to our notice, as the officer on duty normally would assault the rider back and settle the issue by other means. But it is not the case now. The traffic police department is now following a clear cut policy. If anyone abuses or assaults a public servant, the cop on duty promptly reports the matter to the law and order police station, which books a case against the accused. We have been following this policy for the last one-and-a-half
years.”

Drive against drag racing

On the occasion of Shab–e–Qadar, the city traffic police carried out a drive against bikers indulging in wheeling and drag racing in various parts of city on Tuesday night. The drive began from 11 pm to 5 am and around 151 bikes were seized and cases were booked against the riders.

Around 113 bikes were seized in the West division and 39 in East division. In the East division alone cases were slapped against 329 people, while some of them fled the spot with their bikes. The police said CCTV footage is being examined to track down those who fled.