Some people unlike the indifferent majority, do the right thing by certain other people and in return get some not so right things done to them by another set of people. As they say, bhalai ka zamaana hi nahi raha. Look at what happened to a 19 year old lad from Vizag, who probably had learned at his mother’s knee and took it to heart that he should help those in need. He is now ‘paying the price for rescuing a 16-year old girl’ (Indian Express 23/09/10). Wonderful world, isn’t it??
The girl, apparently had a tiff with her mother and left home in a huff. The boy found her crying in the train for lack of money to pay the TTE. The quarrel with the mother probably still ranking, the girl pretended to him to be an orphan. The boy took her under his wing, paid the necessary money and took her home with him.
His parents, who had probably been the very ones to ingrain this helpful nature in him put their foot down when confronted with proof of their successful indoctrination. This is a problem frequently encountered with parents: they teach you the theory and rub it into you at every opportunity they get, but when it comes to the practical they not only get cold feet, but also withdraw support at the most inopportune of moments.
Anyway, the good soul that the boy was, he was not prepared to abandon the girl who he believed to be an orphan. He mortgaged her gold necklace and with the money put her in a ladies hostel. A month later, she contacted him and told him the truth about herself; she was not an orphan after all. As one would expect, the boy immediately contacted her brother, and here is where the story feels a little thin to me, the brother instead of rushing over to get his sister asked the boy to come to Kerala.
The boy travelled to Kerala with a friend, was promptly nabbed by our friendly neighborhood policemen and ‘kept under illegal detention’ as also tortured. Our supposed saviors and protectors, the policemen, allegedly wanted a whopping sum of 1 lakh rupees for letting him go. Poor fellows, the policemen I mean, they probably wanted compensation for not being able to indulge in their favorite past-time of torturing those in custody and that too for ‘framed’ offenses. Or, let me think, maybe it was a fine imposed on him for doing some good work and a warning to citizens in general, to desist from helping each other in the future.
In the meantime, the resourceful fellows that our friendly neighborhood policemen are, they hadn’t forgotten the missing girl. They brought her home, but only after collecting a handsome sum of 84.0000 rupees from the mother of the ‘missing’ girl. Talk about milking a situation.
What poor ignorant bozos our policemen are. Nobody seems to have told them that finding and bringing home missing children is part of their job and they cannot go around the country-side fleecing ordinary citizens or anyone for that matter for doing their job. Tsk tsk tsk. Besides. no one seems to have told the crooked buggers that what they get on the first of every month is THE remuneration for just this sort of work they do.
Once the daughter was back home, the mother took it upon herself to complain to the authorities about the bribe she had been forced to pay to the unscrupulous men in khaki. She, bless her soul, also said that the boy was innocent. Subsequently, two assistant Sub-Inspectors were suspended and a departmental inquiry is on against a Constable.
Meantime, what of our Good Samaritan, the boy??
He got a conditional bail after 45 days of his stay in detention through the good offices of a sympathetic local Advocate. He is now “shuttling between Vizag and Kollam to prove his innocence.” (IE 23/09/10) …and all because, in the goodness of his heart, he considered helping someone he thought was in distress.
There was a time not long back when people refused to stop and help accident victims on the roads, not because they did not care, but because if they did, they had to face incessant harassment from policemen. It needed the Court to come to the aid of those who helped others. Looks like the Court will have to step in once again to help those who give a helping hand. Or else when our children are in some trouble and a stranger wants to lend a helping hand, won’t they pause to reconsider and decide against it due to the risks involved?? If that happens, can we really blame them??
Based on a news report on ‘Police Brutality’ in the Indian Express of 24/09/10.
Shail's Nest 
This is so shocking! The poor guy! All he did was help, and he of all people, landed in jail. And his trauma will continue for a while, knowing the way our system works.
As for our friendly neighborhood police force, they just want to have a chance to make money.Whether they arrest the right person or not, is immaterial, as far as their pockets get lined 😦
@Smitha,
Indeed it is. And look at his plight, having to prove his innocence when it should be ‘innocent until proven guilty’
I guess the last sums it well, people are afraid to help others in trouble be casue it lands them in to more trouble
@hrishi,
When did you go to the US?? So now you get me chocolates! 😀
Yep. with such over-enthusiastic policemen around, anyone would think twice before helping a stranger. 😦
Reminds me of my “Chandamama” days. There was a character called “Paropkaari” Gopal. He always got into a fix trying to help others, but that did not deter him.
To more serious matters. The Police will fleece money from their mothers on some pretext or other. Bribes are their “fix”. Sad but true.
@Vivek,
Thanks for reminding me of the ‘Chandamama’ days 🙂
Sigh, you are right about the sad truth. 😦
Appalling! These things happen and then we moan about the reluctance of people to help their fellow man
@Phoenixritu,
Exactly! If this is what one gets for helping someone, there is no reason to moan 😦
“parents: they teach you the theory and rub it into you at every opportunity they get, but when it comes to the practical they not only get cold feet, but also withdraw support at the most inopportune of moments” — how true ! and how I wish I could elaborate more on this ! 😀 😀 😀
Poor guy though ! How come the girl didnt open her mouth on this ? and I agree, good mother ! allengil, aa chekkante kaaryam katta poha (dense smoke) 😀
@vimmuuu,
Why don’t you elaborate on that?? 🙂
There was nothing in the papers about what the girl said. But obviously the mother came to know the boy’s role from her 🙂 and so the boy got saved from katta poha 🙂
Oh dear…thats really sad…see, this is why no one dares to help another soul here…and if we try to help, ppl are shocked !!! Or else the police shock you by asking bribe, for helping a person… 😦 😦
Thank God, the girl’s mother gave a statement that the boy is innocent !!!
If such incidents keep happening, we can rest assured that the common man will never trust the Police Force, for helping him.
@UmaS,
Sad state of affairs when someone who lent a helping hand is victimized 😦
I’m even more shocked to read the reaction of the boy’s parents when all he did was help a needy. “they teach you the theory and rub it into you at every opportunity they get, but when it comes to the practical they not only get cold feet, but also withdraw support at the most inopportune of moments.” So true!
Oh yes, God bless the girl’s mother for her life-saving statement! Else the poor boy’s situation would have been even sorrier than it was. *Shudder*
@Deeps,
I have felt that parents fail badly when it comes to application of the theory that they take so much care in teaching their offspring.
Yes, good that the mother put in a word about the boy.
Whether it is North or South or East or West, policemen are the same. We are getting immune to these types of stories now, unless it happens to our own children. If it happens to our own children, then we start complaining!
@Sandhya,
How right you are 😦
No wonder people shirk from helping others and pass by even if someone is lying on the road after an accident!
@Reema,
Thinking of all the hassles if they get involved, people prefer to keep away 😦
Verrry Believable with our very own Protectors, here in Kerala. Frankly, they are the pits!!!
And, yes, what of the parents? Nice lesson taught, in theory! Sadly, they are the ones who flunked the practicals.
Given this scenario, why do we bemoan the loss of values, when it stems from such valued institutions such as family, law and order authorities and society itself?
@Usha,
Makes me wonder too why we lament about loss of values when such is the situation. 😦
A classic example of “Havan karte, haath jal jata hai”. I learnt this a long time ago. As for Indian Police departments, they are just the new Colonizers after the Colonizers left…Those days, we had Foreigners who committed attrocities against us, Now, we have our own people do that to us. I dont know which is worse. Nothing changes I guess except for the person experiencing it.
@Rashmi,
“New Colonizers after the Colonizers left” That is so true. It is sad enough that the boy was wrongly implicated and had to suffer at the hands of the police. On top of that the onus now seems to be on him to prove his innocence! I thought we were supposed to be innocent until proven guilty! 😦
That is both shocking and depressing!! Thanks for sharing, Shail!! Seriously, much as I’d like to help people, I’m really afraid to do so these days!!
@Pallavi,
It is scary. What if helping someone turns out to be like this?? Very very depressing!
This is really sad news Shail!!
The poor boy…he must be scarred for life, the good in him killed by the unnecessary torture!!
Those constables must be punished severely!
@momofrs,
What a traumatic experience it must have been for the boy. 😦 Even those who hear this story will hesitate to help a stranger. The policemen should be kicked out of the force.
Now that this has reached the media, he might be treated a little better. But who complained against him, when the girl’s parents are supporting him? In such cases the police should be punished severely. This is really, really sad.
@Indian Homemaker,
When no complaint against him exists extortion seems to be the only reason for his arrest. It IS really very sad and yes those responsible should be punished most severely.