Nagpur: In what could be termed as shameful, some cops who were on night-patrol in the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Patrol car were seen enjoying cold-drinks from a city vendor and leaving without paying the street vendor a two days ago.
The citizen who witnessed this act by cops on night patrolling said that he has just returned back to our beautiful city after more than a year and last night after dinner he along with his friend went to have lemon soda in Dharampeth area. What he witnessed as a citizen of this globally recognized city disgusted him.
The alert citizen claimed that there were at least 20-30 people who were enjoying their drinks on the street opposite to Batukbhai Jewellers, in Dharampeth area. Soon a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Patrol patrolling car with 5 policemen came with their strobe lights ablaze. They were on their regular patrolling job. However, they stopped in front of the road-side soda vendor. The cops called both the street vendors near them and had a short talk and soon both the vendors rushed to serve them the drinks they had ordered.
Another person who tried to reverse his car in order to leave the place could not do so since the police car was blocking the way. The driver of the other car had allegedly honked his horn, but the police patrol car driver ignored it completely. Even after the driver of the other vehicle pressed horn repeatedly, expecting the police vehicle to move forward but the policemen didn’t bother to move the car.
After finishing the drink, they just went away without paying for the drinks they consumed. The alert citizen noticed the look of despair and helplessness on both the vendors’ faces. He said that it was really disheartening and sad to witness the act by the cops. The citizen wondered if these policemen receive their salaries at all or not, which has forced them to enjoy free drinks from street vendors in return for allowing them to do business late night.
According to some citizens who enjoy these cold drinks late in the night said that they return home and after dinner only do they get time to take their family members out for a small ride and enjoy the ice-gola, ice-cream or soda. These street vendors work hard to earn an honest livelihood by selling these goods so that they could take care of the needs of their families. However, such behavior by policemen speaks bad about their image.
The citizen had taken photographs of the mobile car and has appealed to senior police officials to direct cops on night patrol from enjoying free drinks from street vendors.
When Nagpur Today brought this act of the cops to the notice of the In-Charge of Ambazhari Police Station Senior Police Inspector S S Shanke, he immediately took cognizance of the matter and assured of strict action against the erring cops. He very vehemently said that this type of action by the cops on night patrolling is not at all pardonable. He said that when all the senior police officials are striving to establish and maintain a good inter-personnel relationship with the citizens, such acts by a few cops is bringing ill-repute to the cops as a whole.
