Seven cops assaulted in 20 days: Why Gurugram finds it difficult to obey traffic rules - Hindustan Times
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Seven cops assaulted in 20 days: Why Gurugram finds it difficult to obey traffic rules

Hindustan Times, Gurugram | BySonali Verma
Aug 21, 2018 12:56 PM IST

Over the past 20 days, seven policemen, managing traffic in Gurugram, have been assaulted by violators in five separate incidents. Four of these incidents were reported in the last week alone. psychologists in the city said that such assaults are a by-product of the rising intolerance and aggression among people.

Traffic inspector Devendra was on duty at the Sector 29 market on Saturday, when he stopped a car around 11:30 pm to check for drunk driving. He examined the driver with a breathalyser and found him to be drunk. Devendra, who goes by his first name, then asked the two men in the car to step out, and started preparing a receipt to impound the vehicle when they started arguing and abusing him. “They refused to produce a licence or give their keys. They didn’t step out of the car, and started pushing and pulling me with force,” he said, adding that the scuffle caused a severe sprain on his neck.

The stereotype of police officers as corrupt, insensitive and incompetent has also contributed to the rising violence against them, according to clinical psychologists.(Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)
The stereotype of police officers as corrupt, insensitive and incompetent has also contributed to the rising violence against them, according to clinical psychologists.(Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Over the past 20 days, seven policemen, managing traffic in the city, have been assaulted by violators in five separate incidents. Four of these incidents were reported in the last week alone.

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Devendra, who has been a traffic cop for the past three years in the city, said that he hasn’t yet chanced upon anyone who follows traffic rules properly. “There is also this huge ‘phone culture’ in the city. Almost half the day goes into talking to people on the phone after you’ve caught a traffic violator. The violators make you talk to people who they know hold positions of power, just so they can get away with the penalty,” Devendra said.

According to assistant sub-inspector Sandeep Kumar, who was also the investigating officer in a case of assault on a police officer on Saturday night near Sahara Mall on MG Road, the reason such incidents are taking place is because of the crackdown on MG Road and other drinking hubs in the city by the police. “Assaults on the police are a consequence of strict policing,” he said.

However, psychologists in the city said that such assaults are a by-product of the rising intolerance and aggression among people. “Breaking rules makes people feel powerful. You break rules, you feel macho – no matter what your gender is. You look down upon people who force you to abide by rules. You get the feeling of being superior,” said Dr Kamna Chhibber, clinical psychologist at Fortis Hospital.

She said that our inability to self-police our behaviour on roads is a result of a larger problem – the rise in aggression. “Aggression has become internalised, especially online. So it is hardly surprising that it gets replicated in real life circumstances,” she said. Chhibber also blamed the stereotype of police officers as corrupt, insensitive or incompetent, which has been passed down from generations, and said that the attitude needs to change.

Dr Roma Kumar, senior consultant, clinical psychologist, Max Hospital, said that there is a growing perception among people in the city that they can get away with anything. “People see other people getting away with almost anything – be it rape or murder. A traffic violation or assaulting a cop seems petty in that regard,” she said. “Most people who drive in the city have easy money. They might have guns, might belong to powerful families. Where’s the fear then,” she questioned.

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