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mid-day editorial: Road safety is everybody's business

Updated on: 12 January,2017 08:04 AM IST  | 
mid-day correspondent |

A year ago, Thane traffic constable Seema Kale reprimanded a Shiv Sena worker. Not only had the party worker violated traffic rules, he had assaulted Kale for performing her duties

mid-day editorial: Road safety is everybody's business

A year ago, Thane traffic constable Seema Kale reprimanded a Shiv Sena worker. Not only had the party worker violated traffic rules, he had assaulted Kale for performing her duties. In a welcome move, this paper reported, the Thane Traffic Department has rewarded Kale with Rs 10,000 for bravery. While the recognition arrived a year late, but it’s a great precedent and will encourage our police force to be fearless when faced with political thugs.


Apparently, the Sena worker was talking on his cell phone while driving. When Kale pulled him up for it, the driver abused and hit her. But the braveheart cop did not get intimidated by his political might and hit him back. The driver was arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.


It is not new for party workers to use their political clout to try and wriggle out of crimes, but it cannot be tolerated any longer.


Our policewomen have been on the receiving end of many such assaults by political thugs, who consider female cops as soft targets. Quite often, these goons also admit to feeling insulted if women no matter the uniform they may be wearing — book them for their faults. But cops, in general, have been dealing with a rise in road rage, in a society where tolerance is becoming non-existent.

In September last year, even blasé Mumbai was shocked when traffic cop Vilas Shinde died after a biker hit him on the head after being for riding sans helmet. Have we become so callous that we cannot fathom being pulled up for our own mistakes?

Perhaps, yes. It’s with this knowledge in the backdrop that Kale’s actions seem all the more heroic.

Let us strive to change this attitude and ensure utmost traffic discipline. Road safety is everybody’s business.

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