A retired army major has filed a complaint with Police Commissioner Sibash Kabiraj, alleging that traffic policemen misbehaved with him and his family during a weekend drink-driving check in Gurugram.
He alleged that the traffic policemen made him and his family stand on the roadside for nearly one and a half hours around midnight on Sunday. The situation worsened when, despite proving innocence in a retest, the police refused to let the family leave.
The retired major sent a written complaint to the Police Commissioner demanding an impartial investigation into the harassment case. Police sources said that the investigation has been assigned to ACP Traffic East.
According to a complaint sent to the Police Commissioner, retired Major Hemendra Singh stated that he was injured in a terrorist encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. His team killed three terrorists. Subsequently, he retired in 2007 on the grounds of disability. He now holds a senior corporate position.
On Sunday night, he, his wife and two young daughters were returning to their society after dinner on Cyber City Golf Course Road.
While leaving CyberCity, a police team stopped them. During the inspection, the police officer, flouting medical protocols, placed the alcohol-checking device (breathalyser) he had previously used on another driver directly into the Major’s mouth without changing the straw or nozzle.
The initial reading was 91 mg/100 ml, well above the permissible limit. Immediately, the traffic officer became abusive and started issuing a challan.
He added in the complaint that when he protested this incorrect reading and demanded a fair re-test with a new and clean straw, the senior officer on duty became enraged. He alleged that the police officer threatened him in a highly offensive tone, saying, “I will take out your officerism".
“However, when re-pressurised and retested twice with a new nozzle, the truth came out. Both times, the alcohol reading was only 13 mg/100 ml, which was completely within the legally normal and safe limit. After this, he called the emergency helpline number 112 and reported the police officers’ actions. Upon learning of this, the traffic police officers conducting the check fled the scene with their vehicle,” Major Singh added in his complaint.
A senior police officer said that the matter has come to attention and the investigation has been assigned to ACP Traffic East.
When contacted, ACP Traffic East Manjeet Singh said the case is being investigated.
