IMRAN AHMED SIDDIQUI
The sergeant who became a hero for booking an MP’s car for traffic violation remains a hunted man for standing up to a senior colleague who had allegedly tried to protect an errant trucker.
Sudip Kumar Maity, shunted out of the Shyambazar traffic guard after his run-in with former boss Tapan Mitra last year, has received a showcause notice from the police commissioner asking him why he had maligned a senior who had “rescued” him from a mob.
“The notice states that I should either plead guilty to the three charges brought against me (insubordination, suppression of facts and going to the media) or give a proper written reply. I replied immediately, asking for a fair inquiry. Why should I plead guilty for a wrong I haven’t done?” said Maity, now attached to the Special Action Force.
The sergeant who had last summer booked MP Tarit Topdar’s car for traffic violation is taking the fight to Lalbazar by hiring a former police officer-turned-lawyer to represent him in the inquiry. B. Mukherjee, a former assistant commissioner of police, said: “I am defending Sudip on all three charges brought against him by the police commissioner. I think the issue has been blown out of proportion.”
Police chief Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti declined to confirm or deny slapping a showcase notice on the former traffic officer.
“Call me after the elections to discuss such a matter,” he told Metro on Sunday.
Maity insisted that the “rescue” act mentioned in the showcause notice was the opposite of what had happened at the Cossipore crossing on July 8. He had lodged a general diary at Cossipore police station that afternoon, accusing officer-in-charge Mitra of pressuring him not to slap a case on the truck driver he had caught violating a signal the previous day.
The sergeant accused Mitra of instigating around 20 youths having links with the truck owners’ association to heckle him while he was on duty at the crossing a day after booking the driver.
The former deputy commissioner of traffic police, Manoj Verma, instituted a departmental inquiry that continues till this day.
A fortnight ago, Maity was summoned to Lalbazar to depose before S.S. Dutta, the deputy commissioner (wireless) who is leading the inquiry. “I clearly explained to him why I had lodged a complaint against Mitra (who has since been transferred to Sealdah traffic guard),” the sergeant said.
Dutta declined comment. “I cannot say why he has been showcaused. I am not authorised to comment,” he said.
The buzz in Lalbazar is that Maity has shown rare conviction in refusing to be cowed down by pressure from the top.
Maity’s complaint against officer-in-charge Mitra had turned him into a pariah within a month of him drawing praise from seniors for booking six-time MP Topdar’s beacon-fitted Scorpio after a series of traffic violations on BT Road.
A crowd had egged on the sergeant as he seized the driver’s licence in the MP’s presence.
Maity had got the green light to intercept the vehicle from K. Harirajan, the additional commissioner (IV) in charge of traffic.
Harirajan had noticed Topdar’s car, heading from his Barrackpore house to the Citu office on Alimuddin Street, taking the wrong side of the divider on BT Road and messaged the sergeant.
One of the first lessons any boy learns is "Honesty is the best Policy"
That has all changed in this kingdom of Raja Bhoj where "Takka seer Bhaji aur Takka seer Khaja" is the law.
An honest policeman who did his duty is being harassed and punished because he did his duty.
The only silver lining in this epesode is that he is being helped by one of his retired seniors. He too must have been honest to take up the cause.
