In Bangalore policemen try getting ‘bhaksheesh’[that Rs100.'] out of poor non-Karnataka registration [ppl seldom bother paying state tax whn taking bike to new_place] bike-owners at night when ppl like yours truly return from a hard day’s work.
Its not just drunken driving clampdown that stirs the noble police heart!, Ashok!

Jiby, thanks. Good to meet you here after a while. I recently met a guy who was lamenting “Jiby chettan‘s blog nirthiyallo“.

Great story, excitingly told, but only a little reassuring. Little, because is deeply imperfect late-night stop-and-searching actually any good against extremists? Or just drunk drivers? The police (and this officer) in this instance are doing their assigned job well, but is this the job they should be doing? If the police get timely and actionable intelligence, perhaps that will enable them to take specific action against extremists — without intelligence, they will just dull their edge with this drudgery. (But how to gather intelligence without compromising civil rights?)

One problem with commenting on any police action is that one knows so little about how the police function, what the field protocols are. Chances are, modern protocol is a holdover from the colonial era. This barriers business (uniform favourite police tactic across India, absolutely constipates traffic during rush hour in Delhi for little gain) seems pretty antique. In America it would be decried as opening the door wide to racial or class-based profiling.

How good is it really — is there any data…? What do thinking policemen say about it? Curious to know.

Thank you for highlighting this post on DesiPundit.

They do an awesome job and that is because they are a zillion times intelligent than the dumb politicians.

-Nikhil

Asif, there’s something about the place Sreekariyam that makes people nice and decent, honest and hardworking Thanks for the nice story. The night society is a world that few of us encounter, especially since we chat online till 3am

John, happy to see you comment here. I was trying my hand at a narrative style.

Karthik, I used “The Policeman” to convey any cop (anywhere) — not to lend a suspense angle to who the guy is. I should be more careful when I write next time. Thanks for the lesson!

A few months ago, I and two of my classmates were riding home very late in the night after the finale of our college fest. We were in high spirits (two of us figuratively, and the third, literally too ) and making a racket – singing loudly and hollering to each other. We were duly stopped at Sreekariyam Junction by a waiting patrol.

Thankfully, the cops were in a jolly mood, and we were let off without much fuss. There was this constable who lectured us about the policeman who gives up his sleep so for ours. At that time I thought, “Haha, another wayside preacher”.

I can see the point in a brighter light now.