Every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction, it is the law of nature. In the case of law enforcement also, the same should be the case. What should differ is the amount and nature of the reaction because we are not wild animals with no self-control. Same cannot be said in case of the recent video which is popping up on the Internet which shows a scooter rider being beaten and humiliated for not wearing a helmet and riding on the wrong side of the road. He broke the law and suffered a painful humiliation at the hands of the law. So the question which we need to ask ourselves is "What is the extent of excessive force?" The video is shot by a Vlogger named Nb Vlogs titled “Why Mumbai Police Beating Bikers”. Judging by the state of current click-bait scenarios, I didn’t expect much but right off the bat it begins by showing a cop beating a Honda Dio rider, for the reasons mentioned above. After seeing the whole Video, it became clear that the rider resisted law enforcement by trying to run off the first time when he was told to stop. So naturally, he deserves a strict punishment in the form of a huge fine. The rider's behavior was repulsive and irresponsible, his license should have been taken away. Instead, he got more than what he bargained for. He was beaten and humiliated by the police in public for the same. Although a reaction like this from the Police is natural in this case, use of excessive force like this makes the situation worse for both the parties.
I always hear an argument against violence from Police that “Well, people don’t understand the way of the voice”. Many of us are convinced that “the violent way” is the way to go. What people need to understand is that because the Police are an authoritative authority, they are bound to act more responsibly. They always need to show restraint while demonstrating their power. Beating a rider and then kicking his scooter does not justify the proper use of it.
After this incident, I am sure that it won’t be the respect for the law and Authorities which the rider would have gained. Instead, it would be the fear and disgust for which the men in the khakis will be remembered by him. I am saying this because fear is not a substitute for respect, it only masks the shortcoming any authority by keeping its populace terrified and frightened.
The job of the police is a tough one and they are not paid according to it, there is not an inch of doubt about that. To enforce the law is their job, it can be made easy by making citizens believe that the law is there to protect them and punish them, which can be done by treating the people just as they deserved. With rider’s license withheld and he himself fined a decent amount, the whole scenario would have had just the proper effect on the rider to make him remember to follow rules for the next time. With the excessive force and blatant behaviour the rider now has an extra reason to not obey the law.
If you don’t understand then consider the same situation with kids. If you will shout at and beat your kids, you can make sure that they will turn into a rebellious teen once they grow up. If there is no one out there who is willing to hold on the torch of decency then I think it's burden falls on the Authorities as they have more power. If no one is ready to do the right thing then I think that no one will learn the right thing.
Road safety and traffic regulation are just one of those topics which are masqueraded by the overwhelming number of voices on the internet. Sure we have Triumphs and Harley Davidsons running around on our roads but if there is no proper traffic regulation structure then all the flexing means nothing. In conclusion, both parties are responsible for this mess and quite frankly both of them disgusts me. We may ride an expensive motorcycle but we don't behave accordingly and the moral training of the cops has also not been updated for a long amount of time. So, until someone actually decides to take the initiative and repair the existing rules, we are going to see a lot of videos like this.
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By: Yetnesh Dubey