Harrasment of Himachalis by Chandigarh police

This week got screwed in Chandigarh and that too by the city traffic cop! Taking your car to Chandigarh has become a big headache. The traffic cops have there eyes set on Himachal registered cars. From the moment I crossed into Chandigarh at the railway station crossing I was flagged to stop four times and all my papers were checked and rechecked again. God knows what they were looking at! Finally at the PGI crossing, this cop, it seemed had made up his mind and once I stopped the car, plainly told me that my wife was not wearing the seat belt. Swearing under my breath, I asked him to look again. She wore it just now he told me. It was news to me as we both had been wearing the seat belt right from Shimla.

Another cop had the guts to tell me le-de kar khatam karlo. which really pi$$ed me off. I was damn furious. First of all, I was not at fault and then these guys were asking for a bribe. I asked him to prepare a challan and the cop looked at me beliwered as if asking what sort of guy was he talking to. I went to the Sector 29 office and paid the challan amount. Even the clerk, there told me – le dekar kam khatam kra dena si. One can guess how well oiled the machinary is..!!,/p>

I wonder how in Himachal we guys are so hospitable to the people coming here as our guests. The police here is so accomodating to the tourists and makes it a point not to harras them. On the other hand it is quite the opposite in Chandigarh especially to the Himachal drivers. A million dollar light appears on there face as soon as they see a HP numbered car with the crooked grin. Being a center for education and medical facilities and now recently having come up as an IT destination, Chandigarh is the most visited place by Himachalis. If this is the way people from Himachal are going to be treated in Chandigarh, then one day there could be some serious backlash. As such Chandigarh as a city is inhabited by the retired.. doling out living from the govt pension funds and their children having moved to Delhi or far away. The city has no vibrancy and it is where the cops come in for the kill. Probably they also know they won’t get anything from the city oldies and look for the Himachalis to make a fast buck.,/p>

The least I had this satisfaction that I did not gave into the demands of the cops and bribed them.

Puneet

At zirakpur they will stop all the cars which are not having punjab or haryana number. if any punjab or haryana car is having jet black filming they will not stop them and if a delhi number car is having light filming they will come and ask u that do you have the permission for this filming if u say no then they are going to screw you with no reason as the filming is allowed by the Honerable Supreme court of India but i guess these cops are bigger then the court who don:t have any fear..., Pls let me know where i can lodge a complaint regarding this harrasment....

NITYIN

There is no forum where one can complain against the police. You can highlight this by writing to the editor of the Daily Tribune

Mandeep

Its some sort of feud between the traffic cops of Haryana and Punjab posted in chandigarh. Haryana police will not let go any chance to challan Punjab vehicles and Punjab police will leave not chance to challan vehicles for the other states.

NITYIN

With Haryana and Punjab people they still think twice but with Himachal drivers, they take full advantage of our gentle nature.

Thanks for your comment

DR.MAN MOHAN BAGATI

I WAS COMING FROM DELHI TO SHIMLA IN MY CAR DL7CE6785 ON 25.05.09. ALTHOUGH WE WERE WEARING THE SEAT BELT AS THE HABIT IN DELHITES I WAS STOPPED AT ZIRAKPUR CROSSING BY HC. NARESH AND HIS TWO ASSOCIATES. IWAS TOLD THAT YOU ARE NOT WEARING SEAT BELT. I WAS ASKED TO PAY RS 1000 WHICH I REFUSED AS I HAD NOT COMMITTED THE OFFENCE. HE SAID THAT IF I DO NOT PAY HIM HE WILL MAKE ME TO COME FROM DELHI TO ATTEND DTO OFFICE TO CLEAR CHALLAN.I REQUESTED HIM TO POST MY CHALLAN NO 72929 FOR 29.05.09 AS I WAS GOING BACK TO DELHI. HE SAID NO I SHALL POST IT ON 2.06.09 AS A PUNISHMENT FOR NOT PAYING FINE. I SAW MANY VEHICLES BEARING PUNJAB NUMBER PLATES WHOSE DRIVERS WERE NOT WEARING SEAT BELTS. WHEN I SHOWED IT TO HIM HE SAID THEY ARE FROM PUNJAB. THEN I SHOWED HIM BIKES WHERE BIKERS WERE WITHOUT HELMETS AND TRIPLE RIDING BUT ALL IN VAIN. THE PUNJAB POLICE IS IN HABIT OF STOPPING VEHICLES BEARING REGISTRATION PLATES OF OTHER STATES SO THAT MONEY CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM THEM THIS IS A CASE OF GOVT EXTORTING MONEY FROM INNOCENT CITIZENS....DR.M.M.BAGATI

NITYIN

@Dr. Bagati

Please take this matter with Chandigarh administration. Their website is http://chandigarh.nic.in

Why was he demanding 1000/ rs. I have paid for the challan and it is no more than 300/ rs. Clearly he was looking for a bribe. Chandigarh cops are taking this too far as they know there is no accountability. Also please highlight this in the media. Please write to the editor at The Tribune Chandigarh. www.tribuneindia.com

The way Chandigarh cops are behaving no sane person will ever cross Chandigarh during their journey.
BTW, did you pay the challan or bribed the cop?

NITYIN

@Vivek

This is completly attrocious!!! I am forwarding all these details to the media to do a story on Himachalis facing problems in Chandigarh. We need to fight this gundagardi of the cops

Vivek

I complete agree with you all . I work in Chd and i bought a bike and got it registered in Solan itself just to save myself from the hassles of getting it registered in CHD as i had heard it is very painstaking. I have been stopped on numerous ocassions and it is really hard to bargain with them coz they just donot budge from there stand. Once i was driving at 50km/hr i was challened for overspeeding i asked him to show me the speed and he called up the other guy on wireless and according to them my speed came out to be 75 which i had never crossed .. I fought hard so finally they agreed to challan me for not wearing helmet . i mean come on u implicate me for something and then challan me for something else.
Now i make it a point not to go on the main roads and take the interal sector roads just to avoid these ppl

NITYIN

People are coming out with complaints. Here is a letter published in Tribune, Sept 29

Cops should learn to behave

Chandigarh cops are behaving irresponsibly. They are not sparing even senior citizens. Undue harassment of people by the traffic police also needs some attention. People don’t come forward to complain because of the fear of police. On all roads linking inter-state highways like Madhya Marg leading to Panchkula-Kalka- Shimla Highway, Purv Marg and Chandi Path connecting NH21 through southern sectors and NH21 itself passing through various sectors, etc., vehicles bearing only outside numbers are stopped by the traffic police and people harassed. Even PCR vehicles indulge in such harassment.

I remember having read in the Tribune sometime ago that the traffic police has been instructed not to stop vehicles bearing outside numbers unless there is a visible traffic offence. But the harassment continues unabated. It is not so in other states/UTs including New Delhi.

J.R. GARG, PS to Chief Secretary of Punjab, Chandigarh
Original Link

NITYIN

Here is another incident of harrasment of Himachali driver in Chandigarh published in The Tribune on August 10. The letter to editor is being posted in ditto

On July 23, I had to go to the PGI, Chandigarh, as my 10-month-old granddaughter was to undergo D.M.S.A. (Gamma Camera) test as prescribed by the doctors. I and my family members were in our own vehicle. All the documents required under the rules were carefully maintained and my well-trained licence holder driver was also making use of his safety belt.

Just near the hospital two Chandigarh Police cops pounced upon our car (HP 36-4656) and volleyed a query that was honourably responded by my driver. Still, we were detained and harassed for about an hour.

Strangely, the same harassment is being meted out to most of the drivers of HP here in this “city beautiful”.

RAVI DATTA, Dehra (Kangra)
Link to the post

NITYIN

Thanks Mridula

I guess I know you from Indiamike..!! Glad that you paid a visit here

Mridula

Though I have never been to Shimla I love HP, particularly Spiti. Sorry to hear about your bad experience and so glad to read that you paid the chalan.

NITYIN

@Ravinder ji

Ransom is what I paid in Chandigarh. These cops play the tough cop-friendly cop game. One of them would do all the straight talk and the other would act friendly and try and broker a deal.

As this seems to be a permanent problem for us Himachalis in Chandigarh, if anyone else feels like not paying the bribe, the challan office is situated at Sector 29-B and is open till 10 pm.

Ravinder Makhaik

The Chandigarh Police atrocious when it comes to dealing with vehicles bearing Himachal number plates.

It is appreciable that you did not give in to the demands of the corrupt police... and let the government exechquer benefit from the ransom demanded.

Bonnie

Ill be sure to be careful when I get to Chandigarh!

Got screwed in Chandigarh

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