Two Ahmedabad traffic cops suspended for ‘harassing’ Madhya Pradesh man during vehicle check

Ahmedabad: Two city traffic policemen were suspended after allegations that they had detained travellers for nearly an hour during a late-night highway checking drive, searched their phones without justification, threatened them with cybercell action and sought “chai-pani”. The complaint came from a Madhya Pradesh-based startup founder who shared his experience on social media, triggering a departmental inquiry. Police said the officers had violated multiple checking norms, including failure to use body cameras and maintain proper records. However, no evidence of extortion was found during the probe.
The allegations surfaced after Pankaj Singh Parihar, a startup founder and study abroad consultant from Madhya Pradesh, shared his experience in a social media post on April 15. The post soon went viral, prompting Ahmedabad police to initiate an inquiry into the incident. According to Parihar, he and his colleagues were returning from Ahmedabad in a vehicle bearing out-of-state registration plates when they were stopped at a police checkpoint on the expressway. He said the group initially cooperated fully, understanding that Gujarat’s liquor prohibition laws often result in strict vehicle checks on highways. However, Parihar alleged that the checking soon crossed limits.
In his post, he claimed the policemen took away their mobile phones and spent nearly an hour going through chats, photo galleries and audio recordings. He further alleged that two policemen sat inside the vehicle with the doors shut while checking their phones, while the occupants were made to wait outside.
Parihar claimed the officers became suspicious after noticing handwritten office notes related to forex transactions and student loans. According to him, the policemen allegedly referred to the documents as “kabutarbazi” and began threatening to take the group to the cybercell. He further alleged that the officers repeatedly hinted at a possible “settlement” and suggested paying “chai-pani” to avoid further trouble. Parihar claimed the group refused to pay any money and instead asked the policemen to formally take them to the cyber cell if they genuinely suspected illegal activity.
In his post, the consultant said the incident left him feeling “like a criminal” despite having done nothing wrong and raised concerns about citizen dignity and ease of doing business.
Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik said the matter was immediately examined after the social media post came to the department’s notice. According to the inquiry findings, the policemen had “unnecessarily stopped” the group and subjected them to harassment for nearly an hour. However, the investigation did not find evidence of extortion.
Following the probe, assistant head constable Surendrasinh Ramsinh and police constable Rajubhai Kalubhai, both attached to the I Division traffic police station, were suspended. Police records noted that the personnel violated mandatory checking protocols during the drive. Officials said they were not wearing proper uniforms, failed to use body-worn cameras and did not maintain mandatory checking logs. Both policemen have now been attached to the police headquarters pending further departmental inquiry.






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