After reading my story on ways to dodge the police to avoid traffic challans, which was published recently in TODAY, one of my friends sent me a picture of the numberplate of a car. Well, this car seems to be of a cop as it is clearly written on the numberplate of the car. I don’t know why in Delhi people use such stunts. The other day I saw an Indica and on its windscreen the owner had pasted “POLICE” as well as “PRESS” stickers on it. Are these guys mad? Why do they do such things? I fail to understand it.

Maybe this is because of the prevalent system in India where people from the fourth estate, police and lawyers are given preferential treatment by the traffic cops or for that matter any government official. The traffic cops think that advocates can drag them to courts for no reason or rhyme and press people can concoct any cock and bull story against them and put them in trouble. But a lot many times I have seen the traffic cops leaving these “fake” journalists and prosecuting the “real” journalists.

Another group here is of politicians. I have seen few ministers of Delhi government travelling towards secretariat on roads. They just cross you and one won’t even come to know about them. And if you pass through any of the state Bhawans, then you’ll see some non-descript minister, especially from UP and Bihar, having cavalcade of ten cars with them and they won’t even bother to stop during red lights. Forget about the present ministers, I have even seen some one-time ex-ministers who still have beacon light affixed atop their cars even now. Delhi is definitely a place to show-off and sometimes this stuff even works for their benefit. I think Delhi Traffic Police shouldn’t leave such kind of people and prosecute them. Only then their psyche will change.