Park Circus-er "Helpful" trap: Helmet chara, Triple riding-e char, ar amake 500 taka fine🥲
Ajke ABP news er ekta news dekhe mone pore gelo about a bizarre experience I had at the Park Circus 7-point crossing about an year ago. Honestly, navigating that junction is a nightmare anyway with all the diversions and barricades.
So, I was heading towards New Town and got totally confused as sedinke koekta additional barricade lagano chilo than usual. I saw a traffic police officer (proper officer, not a civic volunteer) standing about 20ft away. I rolled down my window and shouted, "Dada, New Town kon rasta diye jabo?"
The guy actually gestured for me to pull up right next to him. Ami bhablam, "Bah, helpful toh!" He explained the route, and then, as the signal turned green and I was about to leave, he drops the bomb:
"Apni toh zebra crossing cross kore ese amar sathe kotha bollen, etar fine hobe 500/-" 🥲
I was like, WTF!! nije deke anli, help korli, and then you fine me for standing where you told me to stand? Logic? Zero.
The most frustrating part? While I was being fined, literally 3-4 bikes passed by right in front of him- triple riding, no helmets, red light jump korche, and he didn't even blink. Shobai jane keno tader kicchu bola hoto na back then. The selective enforcement and appeasement were so blatant it was a joke. If you followed the rules, you were a target; if you ignored them and belonged to a certain "vote bank," you were invisible to the law.
Fast forward to today, watching ABP Ananda, and it’s like a different world. Seeing the police actually crack down on helmetless riders and enforcing the law uniformly across the board is a massive change. Clearly, the days of "special treatment" for some while harassing common citizens are finally being checked. 🤣