When was the last time you visited a police station. I visited it few days back. One of my friend’s mobile phone was stolen while he was traveling in the bus. In order to get a new post-paid SIM, he was required to file an FIR for the stolen phone and provide the copy to the phone service provider. So I accompanied my friend to the police station and was a mute spectator of the proceedings there. Here’s the first hand account:
So we entered the police station and then asked a person "Hamen FIR Likhwani hai.. stolen phone ki". He redirected us to the person who was writing the FIR. There were two pot-bellied, dark face policemen sitting down , scribbling their daily crime reports in the register. One of them gave us a baleful glare and asked “Why we were there?” We explained him that we need to register a phone theft complaint. He looked at us annoyingly. The conversation went as follows:
Policeman (P): Chori??? Kahan kho gaya phone
Mr. Friend (F): Sir khoya nahin....chori ho gaya bus mae.
P: Tum jaise haatae kattae ladke se chori ho gaya..phone.
F: Haan sir, jeb mae..rakha tha. wahan se nikal liya kisi ne.
P: Ab jeb mae rakhogae.. to chori to hoga hi ( Can anybody guess, where does he wants us to keep our phone ?)
F: Theek hai FIR to nahin hogi, ek complaint likh do plain paper.
He then dictated him the contents of the application in which he stated that our phone got lost while he was traveling in the Bus. He tried to find it but all our efforts were in vain. So he sincerely requests the police to take the required action. After the letter finished, he handed over the letter to the policeman. He shamelessly asked us:
P: Haan bhaiya.. 100 Rs hain affidavit ke.Ya khud banwa ke laoogae (Rishwat mangnae ka tareeka number. 101 )
F: No, Sir Hamarae paas to 100 Rs nahin hai.
He threw the application at us and said "Jao bhaiya yeh kaam nahin ho sakta". This was in the police station, somebody was asking the bribe while in the office, openly, without any shame. The people standing around gestured us not to create an issue and just hand over Rs. 100 to those lecherous, shameless policemen.
The two pauper friends looked into their wallets and added the amount which came around Rs. 40. So we then went back home and got Rs 100 for bribing the policemen. Proudly, we went back and handed over the application, with hundred rupees on top of it. Mr. Khakhi Wardi took the application and ignored the 100 Rs. note as if it was not there on top of the application paper. He dropped the note on the table and placed the application on top of it. Then signed the application, stamped it and somehow in between slipped the note from under the application and placed it in his fat full of bribe pocket.
Behaving as if he had never seen our hundred rupee note, he then handed back the stamped application and we left the police station.
Guess what?? Going by this rate, India is soon going to be a leader of corrupt countries. The government servants are not ready to do anything without getting a part of our hard earned moolah. Those who have the power to control the corruption, they are not acting or maybe they themselves are corrupt. Till the time we the PUBLIC do not force such people to act, we have to Keep Paying ……
P.S: This entry is dedicated to Mr. Pushpendra “Careless” Raghaw, his lost Nokia phone and Rs. 100 which he gave as a bribe.
