Cops challan car driver for not wearing helmet

DHARAMSHALA: In a faux pas, the Una traffic police in Himachal Pradesh have issued a challan to a car driver for not wearing helmet while driving.

The cop attached to the traffic cell in Una, issued challan to one Narender Kumar, an employee with Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board, on Monday, under Section 177 of Motor Vehicle Act 1988.

Since then, the photo of the challan has gone viral on social media making Una traffic police a butt of joke for what senior official say is a “clerical mistake”.

The owner who had parked his car, bearing registration number HP 20D 7589, on Una-hamirpur road and had gone for some work, found the challan copy pasted on the windscreen of his vehicle. Challan mentions the offence as “without helmet” and category of the vehicle as “car”. The cop, who issued the challan, also mentioned that car owner was “not present” when the challan was issued and directed the offender to appear before the District Court on December 12.

A senior official said, it could be a clerical mistake as the same section of MV Act deals with other offences also. “Challan must’ ve been meant for idle parking but the officer mentioned the offence as without helmet accidently,” he added. The traffic police have become a target of jokes on Facebook. A user wrote that the cop deserved a Police Seva Medal, for his step will ensure safety of car drivers. Another user cautioned the commuters to wear a helmet while driving a car in Una.