Erring cop in trouble, this time for taking bribe

CHENNAI: Traffic police inspector V Ravichandran, who faced disciplinary action for pushing to the ground a constable riding a motorbike at Teynampet last November, has been suspended again. This time after a video of him receiving a bribe from a motorist went viral on Monday.
The video, which runs for 1.39 minutes, shows the inspector seated in his vehicle receiving money from a motorist on the Chennai-Tiruttani highway. He's seen putting the cash in a small bag and later counting the currency notes.

The Chennai police introduced e-challans on May 7, 2018, and police personnel were ordered not to receive any money from motorists. Traffic rule violators were given challans they could pay using debit or credit cards or online or in post offices.

"We have introduced e-challan system mainly to prevent policemen from extorting bribe from motorists. We found the allegation to be true and hence action has been initiated," said a senior police officer.

Ravichandran had been the target of anger on social media after a clip of him pushing constable Dharmaraja to the ground on November 21, 2018, had gone viral. This was after Dharmaraja had launched into a rant on the police walkie talkie against Ravichandran accusing him of not granting him leave to perform the 16th day rites for his mother. At the time the police brass had said Dharmaraja often played truant, staying away from work, but had transferred Ravichandran to the vacancy reserve.

Ravichandran was suspended two days later after the injured constable's wife, D Sridevi, had lodged a complaint at the Abhiramapuram police station against him. She had also claimed that the charges levelled against her husband by the inspector were false. Dharmaraja had sustained injuries to his legs and a fracture to a finger on his right hand.

After his suspension was revoked, Ravichandran had been posted in charge of the Ambattur Traffic Enforcement wing.