Ban on random checks of vehicles: DG & IGP Praveen Sood

Random checks lead to not only harassment of motorists but also traffic snarls on the city streets.

Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Praveen Sood on Monday instructed the city traffic police not to stop any vehicles for random checks unless in cases of traffic violations or during special drives like drunk driving.

There have been concerns that random checks of vehicles lead to not only harassment of motorists but also traffic snarls on the city streets.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has also often reiterated this position. However, random checks of vehicles continue unabated on the city streets.

He was responding to Srivatsava Vajapeyam, who tweeted to Mr. Sood that when he headed the city traffic police he had banned stopping vehicles for random checks, but when he had become the State police chief such random checks had become the norm.

“I reiterate again… no vehicle shall be stopped merely for checking documents unless it has committed a traffic violation visible to the naked eye. Only exception is drunken driving. Have instructed Bengaluru Police Commissioner and Joint Commissioner (Traffic) for its implementation immediately,” he tweeted.