Bihar’s traffic policing faces fresh ignominy as a Katihar tea shop emerges as ground zero for a bribery racket. Officers from the traffic wing—a sub-inspector and homeguard—were caught on camera settling Rs 6000 challans for Rs 200-500 handouts, a video now exploding across social media.
The confrontation at Manihari Mor painted a damning picture. Stopped for a violation, the driver faced a steep fine warning. Apologies fell on deaf ears until the cops pitched their illicit shortcut: pay up at the chai kiosk. The shop, purportedly a regular drop-off point, became the deal’s fulcrum.
Public fury propelled action. SP Shikhar Chaudhary ordered FIRs, arresting the homeguard on the spot while the SI vanished into the night. Investigators are piecing together the network, suspecting multiple victims over time.
This isn’t isolated; locals recount similar shakedowns, eroding confidence in rule of law. The footage’s raw authenticity—pleas, threats, and cash talk—has sparked statewide debates on police reform. Experts advocate tech solutions like e-challans and CCTV to dismantle such operations.
As Katihar reels, the scandal spotlights urgent needs: training, surveillance, and whistleblower safeguards. Until then, every traffic stop risks becoming a shakedown, undermining road safety efforts across Bihar.