SOM IMPACT

Police vehicle’s 71 traffic violations

Mysuru: A Star of Mysore report exposing repeated traffic violations by a Police emergency response vehicle has prompted the Karnataka State Police Complaints Authority (KSPCA) to seek immediate action from the State Government.

The report, ‘71 seat belt violations!’, published on June 28, 2026, revealed that Police vehicle KA-55-G-0433, an ERSS-112 vehicle, had accumulated Rs. 36,500 in fines for 71 seat belt violations recorded between July 5, 2024, and June 10, 2026. Taking note of this, KSPCA Member Mohan Kumar Danappa has written to Addl. Chief Secretary, Home Dept., urging the Govt. to direct all Police units to inspect vehicles, clear pending fines and ensure strict compliance with traffic rules.

In his letter, Danappa said that while the Police Department is responsible for enforcing traffic laws and maintaining discipline, Police personnel are often found violating the very rules they enforce.

He cited instances of riding without helmets, using mobile phones while driving, triple riding, parking in no-parking zones, driving the wrong way on one-way roads and failing to wear seat belts.

He noted that reports and videos of such violations by uniformed personnel frequently circulate on social media, fuelling public criticism that there is  “one law for the public and another for the Police.”

Danappa urged the Government to direct all supervisory officers to verify pending traffic violations involving all vehicles to ensure outstanding fines are paid promptly and enforce strict adherence to traffic rules. Such action, he said, is essential to protect the image of the Police Department and reinforce  public confidence.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Danappa questioned the double standards. “Traffic Police penalise the public for violations, but when Police personnel commit the same offences, there is effectively no one to penalise them,” he said.

He also called for a Statewide audit of all Police vehicles and suggested that traffic fines should be recovered from the designated driver or officer in charge of the vehicle, rather than from public funds.

Danappa pointed out that technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) have eliminated human intervention in detecting violations, ensuring that traffic laws are enforced uniformly, regardless of who is behind the wheel.