A head constable and a constable attached to the Sampigehalli police station in Bengaluru were suspended on Sunday for allegedly harassing a couple and imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 on them for “roaming on the road at night”. The incident, which reportedly took place on December 8, came to light after the man narrated their ordeal in a series of tweets.
"Two police personnel from Samigehalli police station responsible for the incident have been identified, suspended and departmental action initiated. Bengaluru police will not tolerate deviant behaviour from its staff," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East division) Anoop A. Shetty said on Sunday in response to the tweets by one Karthik Patri.
Two police personnel from @sampigehallips responsible for the incident have been identified, suspended and departmental action initiated. @BlrCityPolice will not tolerate deviant behaviour from its staff. @DCPNEBCP @Karthik_Patri
— ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice) December 11, 2022
Karthik had taken to Twitter on December 9 to narrate the harassment meted out to him and his wife by the police personnel on Hosyala patrolling duty on the previous night.
He said they were walking back home near Manyata Tech Park around 12.30 am after attending a function at their friend's house when the police stopped them and asked them to show their identity cards.
"We were taken aback. Why should an adult couple walking on the street on a normal day be asked to show their ID cards?,” he asked and said they, however, showed the photos of their Aadhaar cards on their mobile phones. “To our surprise, they took our phones away and started quizzing us about our relationship, place of work, parental details etc,” he said.
He further said that during the questioning, one of the police officers took out a challan book and noted down their names and Aadhaar numbers. Asked why they were being issued a challan, the officer told them that they were not allowed to roam on the road after 11 pm.
"Although not convinced, we decided to back down. It was late in the night; our phones had been confiscated; there was no help in sight; and the least we wanted was a confrontation with two policemen. We apologised for being ignorant about the rule and assured them of not venturing out at night again. We thought we were over it, but it was as if the two men were waiting for this moment. They refused to let us go and demanded Rs 3,000 as penalty. Our hearts sunk," Karthik said in the following tweets.
He said the officers even threatened to arrest them and showed them pictures of some of the convicts.
“I could barely hold my nerve, while my wife was in tears. Perhaps realizing that they had pushed a woman too far and fearing the legal consequences, they changed tack,” he said, adding: “They said only I would be penalized. 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, I didn’t want the ordeal to prolong even more.”
Karthik said he paid Rs 1,000 by scanning PayTM QR code given by the cops. The police allowed the couple to go with a warning that if seen walking on the road at midnight, they would register a strong case.
“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,” he further said.
The DCP responded to the tweets on Saturday night saying the errant officers will be identified and strict action will taken against them. Answering to a user's query, he also made it clear that there is no rule that bans people from walking on roads after 11 pm.
On Sunday, the DCP further informed that two police personnel responsible for the incident have been identified and suspended.
