Manipur cops give 'sweet deal' to helmetless bikers

IMPHAL: Frustrated with the fact that imposing fines on bikers riding without helmets is not proving to be a big enough deterrence, police in Manipur’s Churachandpur district have come up with a novel way to crack down on the offenders. If found without helmets, bikers are now being forced to get down, physically push their vehicle for a considerable distance, after which cops are gifting them toffees and counselling them.

The officer-in-charge of traffic control police is heading the unique drive that kicked off at Churachandpur district headquarters on Thursday. The key objective of the drive is to make bikers aware of the importance of wearing helmets. So unrelenting are the traffic police in their efforts to send out a message to everyone that a cop, who was found to be riding without a helmet on Thursday, also had to undergo the same punishment.

“Bikers without helmets are being forced to get down and push their vehicle for some distance, after which we are offering them toffees or sweets and counselling them,” Churachandpur SP Amrita Sinha told TOI. “It is for their safety that we are doing this. If they have a helmet with them, we make them wear it. Otherwise we educate them on the importance of wearing helmets, driving safely and following traffic regulations,” she added. The district police, under the supervision of the new SP, will also launch an effective drive against bikers using modified silencers that cause noise pollution.