Reminds me of Late 90s , 5-6 of us were in a friends new car all 18-19 year olds were stopped on our way back from the beach in Surat … it was ok till they searched our car for booz in the dry state of gujarat but when they couldn’t find anything the totally drunk inspector got mad and started insulted us for being Muslims and then lined us all up on the side of the road and gave us all a danda thrashing before letting us go.
On accountability for police, a start to stop petty extractions could be a US like camera on the cops to record everything they do.
But I think the issue here is intent rather than solution
In the second instance, did the policemen find something in the phones that they claimed was incriminating -- even tangentially so? Because, I still feel that the policemen will need some fig-leaf of an excuse to blackmail and extort money. Naked extortion, with no pretext whatsoever, from upper-middle-class, college-going kids in a major metro sounds like a very risky move for a policeman to make, no?
I don't think they did, Himanshu (but I will dive deeper on this).
But they were out of uniform, no badges, so it would require a great deal of tenacity from the kids to uncover the reality, especially if senior cops get a share of the take.
Another reader, in a private conversation, posited that the attitude to the elite - what you call upper-middle-class, college, metro - has shifted. Being elite is no longer a guarantee of immunity from 'normal' behaviour by the organs of the state, which includes police extortion.
Grim read. Are any of these experiences, personal?
I wasn't the young man in the 80s..
But he, and one of the young men last week, I know very well.
Reminds me of Late 90s , 5-6 of us were in a friends new car all 18-19 year olds were stopped on our way back from the beach in Surat … it was ok till they searched our car for booz in the dry state of gujarat but when they couldn’t find anything the totally drunk inspector got mad and started insulted us for being Muslims and then lined us all up on the side of the road and gave us all a danda thrashing before letting us go.
On accountability for police, a start to stop petty extractions could be a US like camera on the cops to record everything they do.
But I think the issue here is intent rather than solution
In the second instance, did the policemen find something in the phones that they claimed was incriminating -- even tangentially so? Because, I still feel that the policemen will need some fig-leaf of an excuse to blackmail and extort money. Naked extortion, with no pretext whatsoever, from upper-middle-class, college-going kids in a major metro sounds like a very risky move for a policeman to make, no?
I don't think they did, Himanshu (but I will dive deeper on this).
But they were out of uniform, no badges, so it would require a great deal of tenacity from the kids to uncover the reality, especially if senior cops get a share of the take.
Another reader, in a private conversation, posited that the attitude to the elite - what you call upper-middle-class, college, metro - has shifted. Being elite is no longer a guarantee of immunity from 'normal' behaviour by the organs of the state, which includes police extortion.