Column

Illegal beat boxes are visible, impropriety hides in force's daily dealings

The recent high court order that called for swift demolition of three illegal police chowkies has further chipped the reputation of the Mumbai police. The case has exposed another startling truth about guardians of the law. Of the 338 chowkies in the city, only 119 are legal.

The chowkies are the most visible parts of the force’s malignancy. Sunil More’s demons were unleashed in one of them. He could get drunk on duty, subverting service rules, and then rape a teenager, shattering every assumption which hypothesises that humans are superior to beasts.

But what about the perversions of the police that are less visible? Did you know many of the overcharging taxis at city airports are run by police cartels? I will relate an incident that I witnessed, and which may illustrate the extent of real malignancy. Two foreigners hired a taxi from the domestic airport and were charged an extraordinary fare of Rs450 – to Lower Parel! More remarkable, the money was collected as an advance. But just near the intersection that connects the airport road to the western express highway, the taxi “broke down”.

The driver concerned then flagged down a running taxi and began to negotiate a price with the new driver. The latter said he sticks to the meter but was pressed to quote a price. A sum of Rs150 was agreed upon. The airport taxiwallah paid the fare and made a huge show of solicitousness towards the foreigners. “No pay, no pay. I pay, already,” he told them. “Happy journey,” he shouted as he got into the taxi to drive back to the airport.

When he returned to the pool, after earning Rs300 for a hundred metre ride, there were triumphant smiles, even on some cops’ faces. And it was not merely the much-abused traffic constables who threw knowing and congratulatory glances at the driver. A regular cop, rubbing a packet of mawa in his hands, was clearly anticipating a considerable cut to warm his palms later.Is not the dark collaboration between the airport taxiwallahs and the police evident? This shaky structure of devious dealings must be demolished at once.

As must be the illegal shanties that are choking the airport environs. Don’t feel any sympathy for the owners, they are not the destitute who toil away for Mumbai. The real owners are those who walk in the corridors of power, and yes, many policemen who have acquired the huts over the years.

Their ownership has blunted the illegality of the acquisitions to such an extent that many of the huts have electricity and running water. Now you know why the airport shanties always draw aggressive throngs of ‘activists’ whenever they face the threat of even a survey. The rickety hutments along the Tulsi Pipe Line were smashed in seconds. But the airport versions, they represent the higher-end, luxury realty for the aspirational indigent. Many policemen and politicians know that, which is why they have wisely invested there and fiercely guard the status quo.

Email:raghu@dnaindia.net