PANAJI
Cracking the whip on complaints of police harassment and corruption, the government has barred all police personnel -- except inspectors and sub-inspectors wearing body cameras -- from issuing challans to violators. The new rule came into force across all police stations and traffic units on Friday with a notification expected on Saturday.
“From today, during the day, only Police Inspectors (PIs) with body cameras are authorized to issue challans. At night, PIs and PSIs with body cameras can do so. No other police personnel are permitted,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters after a meeting to review the Action Taken Report on the enforcement and implementation of the new criminal laws.
The CM explained that the decision comes in the wake of complaints from tourists and locals alleging harassment by traffic police personnel on field duty.
“Many complaints have come to me... I have taken this very seriously… Let me make it clear that on-the-spot challans can only be issued by PIs during the daytime and PIs and PSIs in the night hours. They need to mandatorily wear bodycams… violations will also be recorded through dash cameras, signal cameras and AI-enabled systems. The challans will be sent directly to the registered addresses of the violators,” he said.
Explaining the mechanism further, Sawant said that if a traffic offender is not stopped on the road, they can still be penalized later based on photographic evidence. “The photo will serve as proof and the challan will be sent home. There is no need to stop every violator on the road unless it’s a major violation,” he said.
Sawant also issued a stern warning to lower-ranked officials/personnel who might try to issue challans or collect fines. “If any police personnel other than a PI or PSI with a bodycam are found misusing the system, take a photo and send it to the police department. We will suspend him. This is non-negotiable,” he asserted.
Sawant also made it clear that even on beaches; police officers cannot force tourists or locals to pay fines on the spot. “They must be directed to the nearest police station where the proper procedure can be followed,” he said adding the same rule would apply to the RTO as well.
“Only taluka-level nodal officers with bodycams are allowed to issue challans; no officer of a lower rank will be authorized.”
While emphasizing transparency and accountability, the CM also cautioned the citizens against indiscriminately blaming the police force.
