Walked on road after midnight, couple Harassed, fined in Bengaluru

A couple in Bengaluru claims that police officers in Karnataka allegedly ‘threatened’ and ‘harassed’ them for walking on a street after midnight. Karthik Patri, who was made to pay Rs 1,000 through the payment gateway application Paytm for ‘breaking the law,’ tweeted about his ordeal, which brought the incident to light.

Karthik shared his experience in a series of tweets, asking for help from the police after sharing that a short walk from a friend’s birthday party to their house constituted ‘breaking the law.’ A Bengaluru Police official then took note of the incident and started an investigation. The Sampigehalli Police Station’s accused constable and head constable were both suspended for fining the couple.

The Bengaluru resident posted 15 tweets in a Twitter thread, saying, ‘I would like to share a traumatic incident my wife and I encountered the night before. It was around 12:30 midnight.’

He said that when two police officers asked them for their ID cards just for walking on the street at night, they were ‘taken aback.’

‘Two men in police uniforms asked us to show our ID cards. We were taken aback. Why should an adult couple walking on the street on a normal day be asked to show their ID cards?’ Karthik wrote.

The police not only interrogated them repeatedly about their relationship but also took their mobile phones, demonstrating the extent of the alleged harassment.

‘Though a bit shaken, we answered their questions politely. At this point, one of them took out what looked like a challan book and started noting down our names and Aadhaar numbers. Sensing trouble, we asked why we were being issued a challan,’ the man shared on Twitter.

The couple was informed by one of the officials that they were not ‘allowed’ to ‘roam on the road’ after 11 p.m. The couple then asked if there was such a rule or law.

‘We apologised for being ignorant about the rule and assured them of not venturing out at night again. We thought we were over it, but it was as if the two men were waiting for this moment. They refused to let us go and demanded Rs 3,000 as a penalty. Our hearts sunk,’ Karthik shared.

According to Karthik, the policemen were eager to con civilians and they fell for their illegal strategies.

‘We literally begged them to let us go, but they wouldn’t budge. The more we pleaded, the harsher they became, even threatening to arrest us,’ Karthik shared.