No helmet? No problem, buy it right now

Patna: Police in Bihar has come up with a brilliant plan to stop people from violating traffic rules.

A police station in Bihar’s East Champaran has found a unique way to penalise violators without harassing them. The violators if caught travelling on a motorcycle without a helmet or insurance papers are being let off after purchasing the same from vendors near the police station.  

People being caught by the police are also appreciating the initiative which has been launched to ensure proper implementation of the amended traffic rules. “Instead of slapping heavy challans, we ask people to buy a helmet and renew their insurance papers through agents present here. The whole purpose behind the drive is to ensure that people do not violate the traffic rules under my police station”, Mukesh Chandra Kunwar, Station House Officer of Chatauni police station, where the drive has been launched, told this newspaper.

The unique drive has been launched at a time when people are coming out with complaints of harassment by the police after the new Motor Vehicle Act was implemented.

“Such kind of pro-people drives by the police should also be launched in other parts of the state. This will definitely create awareness among those who have been violating traffic rules,” experts in Patna said.  Experts also pointed at some recent incidents in which policemen and public representatives were seen misusing their power after they were caught violating rules in Bihar. They said, “There are many incidents which show that the police and public representatives are violating traffic rules and no action is being taken against them.”

In Buxar, an assistant sub-inspector was caught on camera not just violating traffic rules but also beating a youth after he confronted the officer for driving his motorcycle without wearing a helmet.

However, the ASI was later suspended after the video went viral.