Police mamu - 2

This was my second funny encounter with the bengaluru cop which took place around 6 months back.

I had parked my bike at the end of the gandhi bazar (opposite to Anand Bhavan sweet stall) at a legitimate parking lot - even a parking board is put up there. I went to CCD along with a couple of friends and came out only at 10pm to find my bike missing from the parking area. In bangalore, if you find your bike missing, you'll suspect traffic police rather than a thief! I was almost certain that it was traffic police as I had experienced it earlier as well that the owners of expensive-looking bikes are easy victims. I had paid hugely a month before that for parking in a no-parking zone for less than 5 minutes! None of the Hero honda splendours (no offense meant to splendours - but its a real fact) around my bike were touched !! But this time I was surprised that my bike was missing even from the parking zone. I again made sure from the sign board that it was two wheeler parking area without the dates on it. (I knew that there are few areas where parking is allowed only on specific days of a month - like only on even dates or only on odd dates etc)

I went to the nearest police station(PS) - basavanagudi PS- not to give a complaint but to claim my bike. I was relieved as soon as I spotted my bike there. Two constables enquired and started alleging me for being careless. It was amusing to know that the crime I had committed was - not locking my side lock/handle lock!!! This came as a shocker to me as no one had told me that it was a crime. I even explained those PCs (police constables) that I am not informed about it - neither during the license test nor through media (I remember the extensive coverage of helmet rule in media but not any 'side lock' rule ). But they insisted that they had received a circular from SP to fine for this 'crime'. I told them I had atleast parked in the stipulated parking zone. Their argument was so dumb - since I had parked in the parking zone, police is supposedly even more responsible for the safety of my bike becuase if someone flicks my bike from the parking lot I would complain to police and allege them for being irresponsible!(what?!!) - so they carried my bike to police station (a protection meausre?) I was so pissed off by their argument that I started yelling at them in their den (read as police station) They demanded some unreasonable 'fine' and we finally negotiated at 150 bucks. By the time I and my friend could search our pockets for money, the PC suddenly felt it was too less for all the 'effort' he had put in and asked me to talk to their inspector directly. Once I entered the inspector's chamber I was introduced to him as 'the owner of that big bike' (com'on its not big - just that its heavy) Before I could speak, the inspector asked me to pay the PC 100 bucks (he he - I won ). I immediately agreed and handed over the 'fine' to PC. You should have seen the expression on the PC... in KREC lingo we would term it 'kela'. But before I could get my bike out of the police station, I was summoned again by inspector to his chamber (I guessed this PC had told about the 150 bucks) and demanded 150 bucks. I objected saying it was unfair. I gaveup when the inspector put this arguement forth (the dumbest in the whole episode) - at 10 pm there are no 'tiger's ('tiger' is the name given to towing vehicles of bengaluru traffic police - the only resemblance between the tiger and the towing vehicle is the stripes of yellow and black paint on the towing vehicle!) on duty as a result this PC had to push my bike all the way to police station (who asked him to do so - am I paying him his coolie wages?) more over the bike is heavy (and hold your breath here...best one is yet to come) and the road is uphill from the parking lot to the station and hence the premium (what the f***...)