Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj's act of riding a bike without a helmet on Thursday night, purportedly to catch hold of errant cops during night patrolling, has landed him in a spot of bother.
BJP leader Sukhada Pandey lashed out at the senior superintendent of police (SSP) on her Facebook page on Friday. Sukhada, who was the art, culture and youth affairs minister when the JDU and the BJP were in alliance, wrote in Hindi on her Facebook page: "I was out of my house on Wednesday morning. I saw a lot of checking going on and those without helmets were being stopped. Also I saw the picture of the captain of the Patna police (SSP) riding a bike without a helmet. Now what is to be seen is the action taken against the officer for disobeying the directive of his senior, as rules are the same for all. Nitish ji, you should see it too. Whether rules are being followed or directions are being disobeyed or not."
Around 11pm on Thursday, Maharaaj decided to move around covering his face with a white handkerchief to keep a check on night patrolling.
The SSP's ride with one of his bodyguards continued till early morning during which he visited many places and caught some officers taking a nap or not active during duty. The SSP suspended a cop stationed near Kotwali who was sleeping in his vehicle.
The officer also sent a man to the Jakkanpur police station who informed them of a loot having taken place. With no cops coming to the spot even after 15 minutes, a sub-inspector rank officer of the police station was suspended. Asked about his objective, the SSP said: "This is winter time and criminals take advantage of the fog to carry out loot, snatching and theft. Under these circumstances, the patrolling and police alertness at night has to be spot on."
On Thursday afternoon, deputy inspector-general, central range, Shalin directed that cops on two-wheelers should wear helmets when they ride and those who don't should also be fined. On Thursday, 10 policemen had to cough up fines. The fine for not wearing a helmet while driving presently rests at Rs 100.
When contacted, Sukhada said the officer should have followed rules. "I have not criticised the SSP. He is doing a good job. But then he should be following rules too as it is for everyone. He should set an example," Sukhada said.
The SSP said: "The purpose was to sensitise the police to check even those personnel who move without helmets. I covered my face so that cops on the roads wouldn't be able to recognise me. The idea was to check how night patrolling is being conducted and make cops aware that they shouldn't hesitate in catching and fining their colleagues if found riding two-wheelers without helmets."
