Drunk drivers emotionally blackmail cops to escape paying challans

Drunken revellers returning from Hauz Khas Village were greeted with police barricading near Aurobindo Place Market this past weekend. The Delhi Traffic Police conducted a special drive on Friday night between 10pm and 2am to catch drunk drivers. The drive was organized to challan drunk drivers, but turned out to be a stressful and only mildly successful exercise for the police, with arguments and melodrama marring proceedings.
Too many arguments, too few challans
Cops conducting the drive told us that despite there being heavy police presence and strict checking of all vehicles leaving HKV, only 18 vehicles were challaned.When asked why, a policeman said, “People argue a lot. There were two boys who were not ready to pay a challan and argued with us for a good two hours! Those who are caught call their family members, flaunt their contacts and waste our time. In the confusion that ensues, many cars slip away and sometimes, we also have to let them leave, especially if there are girls.”
It is mostly (sober) women who drive after a party
Cops tell us that it is usually the women who haven’t been drinking in a party of revellers who drive back home afterwards now. “There has been some awareness, and now a majority of people going back home prefer that a woman who is not that drunk should drive back in case there is no driver,” the policeman said.
Tears and drama
The ‘Tu jaanta nahi mera baap kaun hai’ dhamki is the Delhiite’s staple retort in a sticky situation, but Friday night’s drive saw many people trying to emotionally blackmail cops or shedding tears to get out of paying a challan. Three girls who were stopped for triple riding and drunk driving initially fought with the cops when they were told they were violating the rules. Gradually, when they realized that their arguing wouldn’t help, they pleaded with the cops to let them go, since “going in an auto won’t be safe”. “We finally let them go. Had they taken an auto and had something happened to them, we would have been blamed and told, ‘Agar scooty impound nahin kari hoti toh aisa nahi hota’,” said a policeman. Another girl, who was challaned for driving under the influence of alcohol, burst into tears after surrendering her license. A cop who was watching the scene said, “Ladkiyaan kaafi baar rone lagti hain. Darr hota hoga ki ghar jaake parents se daant padegi. Drunk driving ke case mein toh license six months ke liye cancel hota hai aur yeh bahut hi badi baat hoti hai. Log pee toh lete hain, lekin agar pakde jaate hain toh phir rote hain.”
Birthday celebration with the cops
Not everyone who tried to emotionally blackmail the cops was successful. Two guys who were returning from a birthday party almost rammed into the police barricade while driving back home. When the driver was asked to surrender his license, the person accompanying him said, “Sir, aaj mera birthday hai. Ghar par log wait kar rahe hain mera birthday cake kaatne ka. Please jaane do.” When their pleas didn’t work with the constables, they went to a senior officer and while one of them stuck to the emotional line, the other boy alleged that the constables were asking them to pay a bribe. After hearing them out, the senior policeman wished them a happy birthday and said, “Aap challan pay kar dijiye aur jaaiye. Abhi 12 toh nahin baje hain. Aap ghar pahunch jaayenge.” The boys persisted, though, and kept pleading with the police to let them go. When their pleas fell on deaf ears, they called their brothers and friends to resolve the issue. It emerged that neither of the two boys was carrying his license. They were challaned for driving without a license and their car was also impounded. The elder brother was heard telling the birthday boy, “Had it not been your birthday today, I would have kicked your ass!”
No more breath to blow into the alcometer!
Many people who were asked to blow into the alcometer weren’t ready to do so. A couple whose car was stopped started arguing with the cops. The lady said, “Hum kyun test lein? Itni saari aur gaadiyaan nikal rahi hain. Aap unhe toh nahin rok rahe.” Meanwhile, the man kept trying to blow into the machine but wasn’t able to do so well enough for a reading. When he was asked to blow into it repeatedly, he said, “I am an asthma patient. Meri saansein khatam ho gayi hain. Aur saans hi nahin bachi mere andar.”