|
The horrors of night travel in Chennai
 The aim of the night-beat Police during odd hours is to check and contain the movement of criminals and suspicious persons. But the night-beat by the Chennai City Police around midnight and in the wee hours of the day on the city roads has come in for flak from law-abiding citizens. These citizens seem to have suffered more than the targeted criminals and anti-social elements.
Last week, AIADMK MP Jothi, an advocate, who is considered close to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, was himself a victim at the hands of the night-beat constables. A Head Constable on the night-beat was not only involved in a verbal confrontation with the advocate-cum-MP but later was also said to have attacked his assistant Dr. Shanmugasundaram. A complaint was lodged against the Head Constable based on which a case has been registered.
There are many instances of harassment of innocent citizens while undertaking night travel on urgent work. In the past, these night-duty constables would only detain suspicious persons who could not give their correct address and purpose of their movement. When the persons who are stopped give their correct residential address and the purpose of their movement, Police normally would let them go. However, in the last one year, the law-abiding citizens have been getting a raw deal. Some of them were treated as if they were criminals and ex-convicts.
Imagine the plight of the common man if a Member of Parliament and the advocate of the Chief Minister was to be harassed!
 The other day, a woman, Sri Devi and her friend, a lady staying on Akbarabad Street, Kodambakkam, narrated their bitter experience as to how they were ill-treated by the night-beat constables. The two women were returning to their houses after completing cinema dubbing work when they were intercepted by the night-beat constables. The constables sought their address and phone number. Despite receiving this information, the constables, without making any verification, detained their two- wheeler and wanted the insurance documents. The women, with no means of transport available then, informed their parents over the telephone. The parents brought the insurance documents but the Vadapalani police station constables informed them that the night-beat sub-inspecter would return only at 0600 hrs.
So, the two women waited along with their parents for four hours in the police station till 0600 hrs and it was only then that they got back the vehicle. The police have every right to check the vehicle documents like RC Book, Driving Licence and Insurance during the day time. The normal practice for the night-beat constables is to check and verify the movement of suspicious persons alone. Only if there was suspicion regarding the detained persons, would they check the documents of the vehicles.
But even after persons give their address and phone number, without checking the veracity, acts like detaining the vehicle of even the genuine persons citing one reason or another, and asking for payment of a huge amount as fine during the wee hours, would create undue hardship to the innocent citizens.
 On top of it, how do the cops expect the affected persons to bring the documents in the early hours of the morning when the vehicles are detained? Where is the need to detain vehicles or collect fines when the detained persons established their identity with the help of identify cards and other documents?
Ironically, the Inspector of Thiruninravur, Dr. Antony also had a harrowing experience at the hands of the night-beat constables. He has narrated how he was ill-treated by the constables even after he informed them that he was a Police Inspector.
It is not as if night-beats are not necessary. In fact, after Vijayakumar assumed charge as Commissioner of Police, these night-beats were arranged systematically to check the criminals. The move delivered the desired results. In the last one and half years, the occurrences of crime had reduced considerably.
Compared to 1,700 cases per year till 2001, in the last one and a half years, the crime rate had come down by half. At the same time, the night-beat cops must realise that their target was criminals and not law-abiding citizens. Those proceeding to hospitals for treatment or to purchase medicine and those returning from night work, have been among those subjected to harassment.
The Chennai Police should work out ways by which the night-beat of the police does not become a handle to harass and torment innocent citizens.
Harvey
|
