Broken car plate number: Man harassed, threatened by cops
An entrepreneur, Jayneel Sheth (35), has submitted a complaint to Datta Padsalgikar, Mumbai Police Commissioner, and Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Traffic Police, seeking action against errant traffic officials for harassing him and his family. He said they coaxed him to give a bribe since their car number plate was broken.
The incident had occurred on October 6. Sheth elaborates in the complaint, "We had the most terrible encounter with the Mumbai police. I was driving home to Malad from Churchgate with my wife Parinaz (34) and my 15 month- old daughter. We were stopped at the nakabandi near Gaylord restaurant at around 4 pm. A traffic policeman told us that our number plate was broken and that we would have to pay a fine. I showed him my license and car papers and agreed to fix the number plate at the earliest.”
Later, the policemen demanded Rs 2000 from Sheth. But since Sheth did not have the amount in cash, he requested for an e-challan.
Sheth alleged, the policeman started hurling abuses. ‘I will teach people like you of the Facebook generation a lesson and not let you go till you pay cash only,” stated Sheth in his complaint.
When Sheth refused to give him a cash bribe, he alleged that the policeman got aggressive and four traffic policemen gathered near Sheth’s car and one of them even opened up the door of the car where his child was seated along with his wife. His wife Parinaz was traumatised and his daughter was crying profusely.
Sheth alleged that one of the policemen threatened them,’Abhi tumko nahi chhodunga. Police lock-up mein family ko bithaoonga.’ He threatened the Sheths that he would make their life miserable and said the family will always remember not to stand up against cops from now on. Sheth locked the car’s doors from the inside and called the police control room on 100 for help but no help was available.
Sheth further alleged, “We were held up and tortured as criminals for a broken name plate that I was ready to pay for by e-challan. By then his senior Assistant Police Inspector Khande arrived and we were relieved, hoping that we will maybe now get some help but unfortunately his senior did not even spend a minute listening. Instead, when my wife got down and shared that my daughter was troubled and to please finish the process and let us go, Khande said "Gappa bas chal baju hat idhar se, chupchap under jake beth ja.”
“Khande asked me to hand over my license and then began to drive off. When I asked him for his name, he refused to share it and when I tried to get a snap, he quickly covered his tag with his hands. By then the control room was calling them continuously to allow you to go as we were not at fault, but still the car was cordoned off,” he said.
Around 5:30 pm, a traffic policeman came with an echallan machine which did not work. Sheth alleged, “While all this was happening inspector Sachin Subhash Dubey continued to smirk telling me to see what I had got myself into and that if I had paid in cash, I would have returned home early.” Sheth runs an import-export business of engineering products.