Hyderabad man kicks traffic cop trying to seize his car for drunk driving

A man was been booked by the Hyderabad police for allegedly abusing and kicking a traffic policeman on duty, purportedly while in an inebriated state. The incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday, February 28, when traffic police were testing commuters in Banjara Hills for driving under the influence of alcohol. In viral videos of the confrontation, the accused Gaurav is seen using foul language and a brash, condescending tone while talking to a traffic policeman. 

In the video, Gaurav is heard alleging that the policemen had misbehaved with the women who were travelling with him. He is heard talking to the policeman in a condescending tone, asking how much money he earns and whether he knew how to spell. When someone asks Gaurav to blow on the breath alcohol analyser, the policeman is heard saying that the test has been done and showed that Gaurav was too drunk to drive. The permissible alcohol limit in India is 30 mg/100 ml of blood, or 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Anything above that, as recorded by a breath analyser, would be considered drunken driving.

In the video, Gaurav also claims to be a lawyer practicing in the High Court, and warns of legal action against the policeman. According to the Banjara Hills police, however, Gaurav works at the Hyderabad-based Telugu OTT (over-the-top) platform Aha, and one of his relatives is a lawyer.

Banjara Hills Traffic Police Inspector Upender, who was on duty at the time of the incident, narrated his version of what transpired to TNM. “We were doing drunk driving checks in Banjara Hills, and stopped Gaurav’s vehicle for a check. However, he did not cooperate. He was drunk and his blood alcohol level was 94 mg/100 ml of blood. When we asked for temporary custody of his vehicle, he did not cooperate and instead kicked a police officer. We have raised a complaint against him at the Banjara Hills police station,” Upender said. 

A case has been registered against Gaurav at the Banjara Hills police station under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 342 (wrongful confinement), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).