The decision to arm some traffic police personnel was taken in view of cases of road rage and violence witnessed in the past two years. In October, a traffic police official suffered severe injuries after being hit by a speeding car in South-east Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin area. The injured official along with four others were deployed at a picket for conducting night checking.
In September, a traffic constable sustained severe injuries after being hit by a speeding truck at a police picket near Delhi Cantonment area.
The official was checking documents of heavy moving vehicles at a picket and the accused driver tried to escape for which he allegedly hit the driver and later fled after abandoning the vehicle.
In July, two traffic constables were brutally thrashed by members of a family, who were later joined by a mob, when they stopped two minors riding a motorcycle, in Northeast Delhi’s Gokulpuri area.
In the same month, five traffic police officials were seriously injured when a car rammed into a barricade set up by them in north Delhi’s Civil lines area. The driver, who was suspected to be in a drunken state and was trying to escape by over speeding, was arrested after the incident.
In all cases, the officials were allegedly attacked by offenders who wanted to escape and were suspected to be aware that traffic personnel are not armed. These incidents, and many others, took place in late night or wee hours of the day, said a senior official, adding that traffic officials deployed in the city borders are often assaulted or threatened.