Blow hard for Pal

Age: 52

Humour,gumption and grit seethis breathalyser cop through long nights

Everyday he listens to desperate stories,abject apologies and long arguments with a straight face,going about his job with nonchalance and mechanical precision. After more than 32 years of policing on the road,Rishi Pal,a zonal officer of the Delhi Traffic Police at Kamla Market,says he is now used to the drama.

Pal stands next to his Pulsar with his breathalyser kit. It looks rather complex but,in fact,is brutally simple. The moment the meter jumps above 30 mg (the permissible limit of alcohol in blood),I issue a challan instantlyno matter what the person has to say in defence, Pal says.

It is 9 p.m. on a cold January night. But the dipping temperature and the gathering fog cant hamper Pal. He stops a car at the barricade,brings his head close to the drivers,and says,Aaj bahut thand hai bhai,kahan ja rahe ho? Kahan se aa rahe ho? Pee rakhi hai? (It is very cold. Where are you going? Are you drunk?). The driver in the car shakes his head stiffly. Moonh se bolo bhai. Sunayee nahi diya. (Open your mouth and answer. I did not get you), Pal insists. I am going back home. I have to reach Karol Bagh. And I am not drunk, says the driver. Pal smiles and moves aside to let him off. Nahi pee daru. Jao ghar aur garam khana khao. (You are not drunk. Go home and have a hot meal). The driver smiles and thanks him before speeding off.

Pal now considers himself an expert in booking drunk drivers. He does not use breathalyser on every driver. Just a glance and he comes to know whether to use it or not. I go close to the driver and ask him random questions. After two sentences I know whether the driver is drunk or not. After years of experience,I can smell alcohol from a kilometre, Pal says,his eyes glued to the stretch.

He stops a car and talks to the driver in his peculiar style. He raises his brow and asks the driver to park the car and step out. He then unpacks his kit and takes out a cylindrical object made of plastic which he calls pipe. He attaches the pipe to a machine and tells the driver to blow hard into itLet all the air in your lungs come into this. Pal checks the reading and declares the driver an offender. Kaat do challan iska… peekar chala raha hai (Issue him a challan… he is drunk), he tells one of his colleagues. The driver starts pleading with him and tries whatever he can to avoid the challan but Pal is unmoved. Manne kanoon ke aage kuchh samajh na aave,bhai (Brother,I know nothing except the law), Pal says in his Haryanvi Hindi. He says he has booked even sons of ministers.

Pal looks at his watch. Its 10.15 p.m. He pulls out a bidi from his pocket,takes a few puffs and throws it away. He zips up his windcheater and wraps a muffler round his neck. It is getting colder. I am old,and this is a tough job. But my will power keeps me going. I have to be on duty for two more hours.

A native of Sonepat,Pal came to Delhi 32 years ago in search of a job. He says he couldnt believe when he got a police job. The police uniform was my dream. As a kid I used to look at officers in uniform in great admiration. I had decided then that I would join the police, he smiles as he looks back.

Pal lives in a quarter next to the police station where he reports at 8 a.m. sharp when the officers are assigned jobs. They are posted at different intersections throughout the day. In the evening,a message from the headquarters comes about the special drive of the day. Everyday there is a different drive by traffic policeagainst over-speeding vehicles,commercial vehicles or drunk driving. He sets off for his assigned location around 7.15 p.m.

Recently,the police have been very active. Thrice a week,the police conduct operation against drunk driving. On the new years eve,when all my family members were celebrating at home,I was here booking offenders. It is frustrating at times,but all my life it has been like this so it does not matter much. I am glad my wife understood it and did not divorce me soon after our wedding, Pal says and breaks into a laughter. He has three children,but has lived away from his family all his 32 years in police. He goes home whenever he gets a break. But I am never there for any of the festivals. I am never at home to have a plate of hot food cooked by my wife, he says. Pal does not want his son to join the police.

Its 11 p.m. The drive is over,and Pal tells his colleagues to pull back the barricades. He gives the figures on the number of people booked and vehicles impounded to his traffic inspector. I have to go back to the police station for the briefing which will take another hour. I will reach home around 12.15,have a glass of milk,speak to my family for a while and sleep, he says.