The woman who was prosecuted for obstructing thoroughfare when she had asked a police officer why one flank of the Parama flyover was closed on Tuesday without a notification, has written to Kolkata police on Wednesday challenging the decision.
“I still feel I did not commit any mistake by asking the policeman if there was a formal notification to close the (city-bound) flank. But to silence me, they tried to tow my vehicle away. And when they could not tow my vehicle, they fined me Rs 500,” Liza Rahman, a lawyer, said on Wednesday.
“At no point of time did I obstruct traffic. My car was parked when the flank was closed. And when they opened the flank, I wanted to leave immediately but the police wrecker was holding back my car. So who was obstructing the traffic?”
In an email sent to the traffic department of Kokata police, Rahman has requested the authorities to revoke the fine on the ground that she had “not flouted” any traffic rule.
An e-challan sent to Rahman’s mobile number by the police on Tuesday had mentioned that she had been prosecuted under Sections 122 and 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act for obstruction of thoroughfare on Tuesday morning.
She was asked to pay a fine of Rs 500 for the offence.
But now that Rahman has challenged the decision, the police will have to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
Whenever a motorist challenges any citation case, an inquiry is conducted. The sergeant who was on duty will be called to the traffic police headquarters in Lalbazar and asked for his version of the incident.
“These days sergeants have cameras attached to their uniform to record disputes. The footage captured by the device will be examined,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.
“The woman who was prosecuted will also be called to Lalbazar and her version of the sequence of events will be recorded, too,” the officer said.
“The fine could be waived if the motorist’s version is found to be more authentic than the statement of the cop involved. But if the offence is proved, the person has to pay the fine. In case of non-payment of fine, the case will be transferred to court after a certain duration.”
The court issues summons to the motorist with an increased fine amount. The motorist has to make a personal appearance in the court.
Rahman said she was ready to hand the police the video recordings and the links to her Facebook live recordings, which she did during the incident on Tuesday morning.
