Today I took a Rickshaw from Richmond town to New Tippasandra, like I do everyday. The fare (according to the changed charges of minimum 17/-) should come up to 65 maximum. The rickshaw meter showed 89. When I asked him, he told me it is 89 itself. I refused to pay and asked him to take me to the police station, he started the rickshaw took it a bit further stopped it where there was no one and told me "Bring teh police here if you want, I won't come". His display of the DL did not have the DL no or anyother details except for his photo and name. When I asked him for his DL number, he refused it and took out a screw driver. He started talking in very threatening manner, pointing the screw driver at me and moving very close. I walked away from the auto to a shop nearby, where he followed me.
He also made a couple of comments like, this is karnataka, if you can't speak Kannad then shut up! I refused to pay and said unless he showed me his DL, I will not pay. He refused to do that. He also said "I know where you live" in a sort of threatening way. I finally took down his License Plate number on the rickshaw and paid him the money.
I tried calling the TRaffic Police at Jayanagar on 080 22942658 and also the rickshaw misbehaviour complaint cell which was splashed across teh papers - 080 22253500- there was no response at all.
If this is the kind of Rickshaw guys and the Law supporting us- I will not be surprised if one of us are attacked by these rogues, will it take that for the law to wake up? I shudder to think what would have happened if there were no people on the road.
The License Plate of the Rickshaw said: KA02 6915 and the name of the driver was Santhosh.
I hope there will be some sort of follow up on this, or will this also go into the Black Hole?
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