Traffic sub-inspectors abused, assaulted; violators booked

Hyderabad, Cyberabad Police on Thursday booked two cases against a group of persons for allegedly abusing and assaulting two Traffic Sub-Inspectors at Chaitanyapuri and Saroor Nagar areas here even as people held a protest against police alleging harassment in the name of paying challans.

Saroor Nagar police booked a case on charges of voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty and wrongful restraint under relevant sections of IPC against a group of persons including Prem Gupta and Rishi following a complaint by a Traffic SI Mallesh who accused them of abusing and manhandling him when he stopped a bike driven on wrong-side, police said.

Similarly, Chaitanyapuri police registered another case against one Karan and others on charge of assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty, criminal intimidation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace under relevant sections of IPC for allegedly assaulting Traffic SI Madhusudan, who issued a challan for wrong-side driving, they said.

However, people gathered in large numbers and held a protest against traffic cops for what they called high-handedness by cops and indiscriminate challaning.

They also raised slogans like Traffic Police down-down. We will not move from here...we told them we will pay the fine at e-seva...however, the traffic police insisted on paying the fine on the spot for no wrong of ours, a woman protester said.

Cyberabad Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Avinash Mohanty said that the SIs stopped the bikes which were coming on the wrong side and asked the riders to pay the necessary fine, however, the riders refused to pay the fine and called up their family members and argued with the SIs and abused them in filthy language.

Traffic Police have taken up a enforcement drive between L B Nagar and Dilsukhnagar stretch against wrong-side driving and violators are being fined heavily, he said adding this may have also prompted the people to raise their ire against cops and they created a  ruckus.