A month back, I Met with an accident while driving my 800cc Maruti. It was a traffic light signal on a main road. The signal was not working. Two traffic police gentlemen were standing just after the crossing without bothering that the lights were not working, busy in doing challans. I had to take a right turn from that signal. I was waiting at the crossing for the running traffic to clear off, and then when I was crossing that non-working traffic light signal after carefully watching all the sides. I ensured that the Auto-Rickshaw coming from my right side towards my direction (90 degrees to me) was quite distant. But probably I underestimated its speed, and it smashed in my door breaking my window glass completely and de-shaping my door and front right bonnet to a large extent. The front glass of Auto Rickshaw also got broken. I got unconscious for a couple of minutes and then Auto Driver told me sorry that he could not apply brakes in time (infact his brakes were not working properly). The broken glass penetrated into my right arm, escaping my face and other parts of body. Right arm was profusing blood that was getting soaked into my shirt. Got out of my car, went to those two traffic police gentlemen who had stopped a tempo and probably were busy in bargaining with him for some amount in lieu of challans. Requested them to interfere and resolve the issue. They plainly refused and told me to dial 100 number from my cellphone. And then as wise men suggested me to resolve it in between me and Auto Driver ourselves as calling police will be harassment for both. Both the vehicle will be locked for 2-3 days and ultimately I will have to pay after that also. As per them the expenditure will be more as I will have to pay some to the police also in that case. Ordered me to take my car and Auto Driver with his Auto from middle of the road to the side of the road and let not block the traffic on the road. Quite a few number of people had gathered by then. Few of them offered me to take to a nearby Doctor for taking care of me bleeding arm. And ultimately I did not get any damages from Auto Driver inspite of his fault and drove my car to my home. Immediately went to the doctor, for a tetanus injection and bandages of my wounds. Salute to “Always for you, with you, your Delhi police”
Point to Ponder: do our educated, hard working, disciplined and well mannered traffic police gentlemen have enough power to use their brains and take decisions to take care of traffic if the signal is not working or they wait for orders from their seniors to act?