Mayank Chauhan, 27, a resident of Jogupalya and a techie, was trying to help a street vendor, who was being beaten up by three goons on Thursday. Little did he know that saving the poor street vendor would nearly cost him his life and that the police, instead of promising him safety and security, would threaten him.
Mayank told this newspaper, “After coming back from office on Thursday, I decided to go out for dinner around 7.30 pm. I was on the phone as I stepped out of my society gate and saw a street fight. Three people — Prakash, Antony and one unidentified man — were mercilessly beating up a street vendor, who generally conducts business near my house. I told the vendor to just take his stuff and leave, and I walked off.”
But as he walked towards a shop, he was hit from behind. “Someone slapped me from behind. I was taken aback and my phone slipped out of my hand. When I turned back, the same goons were trying to hit me again. I ran inside a shop to save myself, but the goons chased me inside and started throwing empty bottles at me. The shopkeeper instead of helping me, asked me to get out of his premises. I ran out, with the goons still chasing me,” he said.
“I had a small chance and I called up the police. After what seemed like ages, my call got connected and I informed the police about the incident. They arrived at the spot around 8 pm and managed to catch hold of one of the miscreants, Antony. Then we went to the police station.”
It seems the Bengaluru police is too scared to book local goons and is allowing them to roam free, instead of locking them up in cells, Mayank said. A police officer charged at Mayank. “He came towards me threateningly and raised his hand as if to hit me. The policemen made me wait for over two hours and gave me an acknowledgement only around 10 pm, after which they allowed me to go,” he said.
“One of the rowdies who assaulted me is said to be a notorious habitual offender from the area and has been arrested several times. It was clear that Antony, who was caught, had smoked marijuana. Even with so many cops around us, he dared to threaten me.”
He told me, ‘You meet me outside. I will chop you into pieces...’ But the cops, instead of threatening him or asking him to keep quiet, were smiling and chatting up with Antony as he is a regular visitor there.”
Mayank, who was already made to wait for over an hour, started videographing the entire incident. A police officer charged at Mayank. “He came towards me threateningly and raised his hand as if to hit me. The policemen made me wait for over two hours and gave me an acknowledgement only around 10 pm, after which they allowed me to go,” he said. Box 1 The Ulsoor police let the offender walk free soon after the incident. The next day morning around 7.30 the released offender Antony, was present in front of Mayank’s house. “I walked towards a shop and he started following me. I ran towards the City Nest Club and from there, I took a cab back home,” Mayank said. Box 2 On Sunday, a gang of men allegedly stopped Mayank’s friend Prerna (name changed), and threatened her and told her that Mayank should withdraw the police complaint filed against Antony, he said. Box 3 “Police officials at the front desk were extremely rude when the entire incident unfolded and took more than an hour to register the complaint that compelled me to shoot a video. Yallappa, one of the officials, also tried to threaten me physically for shooting a video,” Mayank said. On Friday, Mayank registered another complaint with the Ulsoor police. In a scene straight out of movies, a Good Samaritan was chased by goons and threatened by one of the arrested rowdies in the police station, even as men in uniform indulged in small talk with the anti-social element in the city recently.
