The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : What prompted him to join police

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 12, 2007
ePaper


<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> <IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 ALT="Click Here"></A> </NOSCRIPT>

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

What prompted him to join police

K.T. Sangameswaran

Recalls the incident of police catching him in Bihar for riding a bicycle without light

D. Mukherjee. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan.

CHENNAI: What prompted Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police D. Mukherjee to join the police?

An incident in his native Bihar where he was caught by the police for riding a bicycle without light at night nearly 40 years ago just after he got admission into an engineering course. Narrating it sequentially at a conference of victimologists on Saturday, he recalled that he was returning on a bicycle after a medical test.

He was caught while crossing a police station. Later, he found himself among 20 others caught for a similar violation. But the police took down their names and let them off. He assumed that the matter ended there.

Three years later, much to his shock, a constable came to his house with a warrant though the case was petty and could be summarily disposed of. It later came to light that the court initially had issued the summons, but the police had conveniently written back to the court stating some reason following which the warrant was issued against him for no fault of his.

When Mr. Mukherjee went to the court, his advocate approached the court clerk who snubbed him saying he had not had his breakfast.

Taking the hint, the clerk was taken to the canteen and provided breakfast. When the case was taken up, Mr. Mukherjee pleaded guilty and paid the fine. He said he did mention this in the UPSC application form. "The Government of India was gracious enough to ignore that," he said, evoking laughter from members of the audience.

"I was so upset with the incident that I thought I must join the police and purge it of its ills," he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu