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Journalism of Courage
While most cops are known for their strict image that they need to cultivate as guardians of the law, one traffic police officer’s gesture of paying the traffic fine on behalf of the offender is winning the internet. The Nagpur cop decided to pay the fine himself after he saw the young auto driver was forced to arrange the money from his little son’s piggy bank.
Driver Rohit Khadse’s auto was seized by the Nagpur Police recently after he was issued a challan for allegedly breaking traffic rules. According to a social media post by the Nagpur Police, the man, who solely depended on his autorickshaw to earn a living, had to rely on his son’s savings to free the vehicle.
However, as the fine was Rs 2,000, which was too big an amount to be paid in coins, the counter refused to accept it, local media reported.
It was then with teary eyes that Khadse approached Ajaykumar Malviya, a senior police inspector at Sitabuldi Traffic Division, saying he is ready to pay the fine but to return his auto to him. Seeing the plastic bag filled with coins, Malviya inquired what was wrong.
After he came to know about Khadse’s financial difficulties, Malviya not only returned the little boy’s money but also paid the fine himself. The police shared an image of Malviya handing over the boy’s priced possession back to him.
The traffic police had fined the auto-rickshaw driver on August 8 for parking his vehicle at a no-parking zone, a press release by the Nagpur Police said. As he had previous unpaid challans against his name, his auto was seized.
“Owing to prolonged lockdown, Khadse was already under debt and with no savings in place was facing acute financial crises. Under this stern condition, his son offered savings to regain possession of his detained auto,” Malviya was quoted as saying by ANI.
While the cop sympathised with his situation, he also warned the driver to strictly adhere to traffic rules from now.
People on social media appreciated the senior officer’s sweet gesture, with many saying that it “reaffirmed their faith in humanity”.
