Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter of a traffic policeman attacking a woman near Golf links, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday said there was an “inconsistency” in the statement given by the victim. The bench also advised the citizens that they cannot keep changing their statements and become a star on TV.
A Bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw added that it has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter not for finding the police authorities wanting in any respect to the incident, but being concerned with the larger picture which has acquired alarming proportions.
Warning citizens not to keep changing their statements to become a star on TV, the bench said, “Similarly, however, disgraceful the behaviour on the part of the citizen was, the same ought not to have elicited a retaliation from the concerned traffic policeman. One who is entrusted with the task of maintaining discipline in society must first himself be disciplined.”
The court further added, “In an evaluation of Indian Police after 50 years of Independence, SVM Tripathi, former Director General of Police, has observed that a sensitive police officer can ensure justice and fair play as no other public servant can. Citizens expect the police as humane and efficient, professional and disciplined.”
The incident had occurred in Golf links area on May 11 following an altercation between a traffic head consable Satish Chand and Ramanjeet Kaur, a mother of three, over an incident of traffic rule violation. The incident was captured on camera and the video clip showed the woman picking up a brick and hurling it at the policeman’s bike while the constable was seen attacking her back with another brick.
Soon after the incident, Chand was initially suspended and then dismissed from service with immediate effect as the incident triggered widespread outrage. Chand was arrested after a criminal case was filed against him and later remanded in 14 days of judicial custody by a trial court.
The woman had alleged in her complaint to the police that Chand demanded a bribe of Rs200 accusing her of violating traffic rules and when she insisted on being given a receipt, he abused her and hit her with a brick in front of her three minor children.
Expressing anguish over the rise in the incidents of road rage, the court said if these remain unchecked, they will “snowball into a jungle raj with only the physically fittest amongst us surviving”. The bench further said everyone on the road appears to be of “short fuse”.
“The incidents of what has come to be known as road rage in the city are now on the rise and are being reported regularly. Commuters, on the smallest of the provocation, are known to have hit out at their fellow commuters violently, sometime also fatally… Everyone on the roads appears to be of short fuse. No solution, at least to our knowledge, has been proposed till now and in fact we are not even aware whether the issue is being addressed by police or the other authorities concerned at all. Now, we have a case where perhaps the traffic policeman also has displayed such rage, rather than control the others,” the court said.
The judge in the seven-page-order, also asked the Centre, the Delhi Government and the Delhi Police Commissioner to respond to the views expressed by it and “place on record the measures if any taken to address the malady”. Besides, it said the authorities concerned should also look at the aspect of training and counselling of the police personnel.