While the state govt is yet to issue a notification about the new fines under the amended Motor Vehicles Act, the city traffic police has enthusiastically begun to demand much higher fines from alleged violators of traffic rules. This resulted in brawls between police & members of the public in 2 incidents on Monday.
On Monday morning, “E Traffic police” personnel at Victoria Garden near Lal Darwaja stopped a woman scooterist, who allegedly had 2 persons riding pillion. The rules allow only one pillion rider on a two-wheeler.
The 1st police infraction was stopping a woman, despite there being no woman cop present. According to the rules, only a woman police official can deal with a woman violating the law.
An assistant sub-inspector, Dahya Ratna, flagged down the woman later identified as Khyati Ajay Umradia, 33, a resident of Vastral. He asked her name & sought to see her licence. She refused to tell him her name or show her licence, the First Information Report (FIR) states.
Ratna said he told her to pay the fine of Rs 1,000 for having 2 pillion riders, but she refused & started to argue with him. Umradia allegedly told Ratna that she wouldn't pay the fine & dared him to take action against her.
She allegedly tried to hit Ratna & 3 other male cops with her chappal. A woman Lok Rakshak then intervened to protect Ratna & the 3 other male cops. Ratna filed a complaint with Gaekwad Haveli police, for being obstructed in the discharge of his duty.
In the 2nd incident, Rahul Manirhar, 34, a resident of Jawahar Chowk in Sabarmati, abused cops & tried to click pictures of them when they were towing away vehicles that were allegedly parked illegally.
“On Monday afternoon, Manirhar rushed to the traffic police towing station near Sabarmati toll booth & began arguing with the cops, asking them why they didn't tow away police vehicles parked illegally on the road,” states the First Information Report (FIR) filed by L Traffic police head constable Rajendra Kanti.
Manirhar, then, began clicking pictures of vehicles on the police crane & started screaming that the police was biased as they did not tow away vehicles parked on the footpath at Sabarmati police station.
Manirhar allegedly tried to snatch the memo book from the cops, & kept asking why they were collecting such hefty fines from the public. He also allegedly abused & assaulted the cops, after which he was overpowered by police & booked for assaulting public servants.
Manirhar was also booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) & 294 (B) (uttering abusive words).
Deputy commissioner of Police (DCP) Traffic (administration), Tejas Patel, said that they haven't yet begun collecting the higher fines, as the new amounts haven't been set by the state govt. “In the case of the cops assaulted by the woman at Victoria Garden, she must have violated other rules as well, but the First Information Report (FIR) only mentioned one violation by her,” Patel said.
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