SUV owner starts wearing helmet inside car after UP cop fines him for ‘riding without helmet’

BAREILLY: In a bizarre twist on traffic rules, an SUV owner in Bareilly was issued an online challan of Rs 1,000 for allegedly driving without a helmet. The incident occurred on Thursday, after which Niranjan Kumar has taken to wearing a black helmet while behind the wheel. Videos of him driving with the helmet inside the vehicle have since been circulating on social media.

Kumar said he was returning home with his children when a sub-inspector stopped his car and behaved rudely with him, before issuing the challan. “Hafizganj police fined me because I was not wearing a helmet inside my SUV. I was with my children, going home. The sub-inspector misbehaved and issued the challan,” he said, adding with a touch of irony, “Who can afford to pay Rs 1,000 every day? So now, wearing a helmet has become a compulsion.”

Social activist Mayank Shukla criticised the incident. “A sub-inspector fined the car, and now police are saying that one should go to the SP Traffic office. Isn’t it just an unnecessary disturbance for the public?” he told TOI.

Meanwhile, Kumar has appealed to chief minister Yogi Adityanath to take action against police personnel who, he alleged, are exploiting the public through arbitrary fines. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, helmet use is mandatory only for two-wheeler riders.

SSP Bareilly Anurag Arya told TOI, “We are looking into the matter and action will be taken if anyone is found guilty.”