"If a cop ask bribe, call the I.G.P." was a news item that appeared high lighted in ‘The Island’ (18/05) But the cop knows only too well that were he to follow the Biblical saying " Ask and you will receive ..." he may find himself in hot waters. He therefore adopts a safer course of not asking but making you feel the discomfort and inconvenience, rightly termed ‘rustifying’ at the cop shop, so much so that your discreation tells you to get relief from the torment even at some ‘cost’. This is true whether you are guilty of an offence or not, as may be seen from the following experience my driver had the other day.

My driver was entering the Negombo high road at Mabole from Bangalawatte housing complex. The main road traffic coming from Colombo would not give way and my driver was inching forward trying for a break-through. At that moment a three-wheeler passing on the main road paused for a moment to chide my driver for edging forward. A van coming behind on his right slightly hit the three wheeler from the rear. My car had not touched the three wheeler at all. But in the traffic snarl that followed, some riff-raffs on the road side who come to the support of the three wheeler driver blamed my driver for causing the accident. The traffic cop who came on the scene took my driver’s licence and asked him to go to police station.

As we were not at fault we didn’t go to the police station immediately. The driver went only the next day to collect his licence. He was asked to wait the whole day. Finally late in the evening, the traffic cop is reported to have returned the licence only after his palm was greased. I asked the driver why he resorted to giving bribe especially when he had not been at fault. He replied he will have more mysery than waiting at the police station if the cop loses the licence, as he had not given any acknowledgement when he took it.

The lesson learnt is when you are not guilty for a traffic offence still your licence may be taken by a traffic cop but would be returned without any charge sheet against you subject to a ‘charge’ levied by way of ‘santhosam’!
‘Pickwick’
Wattala