police

When one hears the words ‘patient dignity’, 'dignity in health care', 'dignity in death,' it conveys that even at their most vulnerable moments, human beings need to be treated with honour and respect. Every patient wants dignity, but are they getting it? 19th May 2020, early morning around 01.45 am, Dhanalakshmi, a senior citizen of our neighbourhood, aged almost 80, was critically ill. Her family and other residents in the building tried to call the 108 and 104 helplines to call for an ambulance. While 108 appeared defunct, 104 was not answered. With few options left, they approached the nearby…

For all outward appearances, Neelam (name changed to protect identity) has it all - a working husband, a couple of young and bright children, and a good job for herself. Look deeper, and one finds that her husband is an alcoholic who abuses her regularly.  Not having got his supply of booze since the lockdown started, he has become even more unbearable, screaming and shouting at her for little or no reason... He has also been encouraging their children to abuse her verbally.  Neelam is now worried that, with the government allowing sale of liquor, his abuse may take another…

It is the best of times and the worst of times for police around the country who have been ordered to enforce the Prime Minister’s nationwide lockdown, with images and videos of police behaviour, swinging from humane to violent playing out on TV screens and smart phones in every home.   Take the case of Bhairon Lal Lohar, for instance. A furniture dealer in Thane near Mumbai, Lohar received the news of his mother passing away in their village in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district and as the only son, wanted to go to his village to cremate her. A Shiv Sena leader arranged an…

Translated by Sandhya Raju கடும் வெயில் கொளுத்தும் ஒரு மதிய நேரம், வெள்ளை, காக்கி உடையில் தன் வாகனத்தை ஜெமினி பாலம் அடியில் நிறுத்தி விட்டு, தலைக் கவசமின்றி வாகனம் ஓட்டிய ஒரு இரு சக்கர வண்டி ஓட்டுனரைபோக்குவரத்து காவலர் இடைமறிக்கிறார். தேனாம்பேட்டையில் பத்து கி.மீ தூரம் தொலைவில் வெவ்வேறு இடங்களில் போக்குவரத்தை சீர் செய்யும் பணியில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள 48 வயது சி.பழனி ஈ3 தேனாம்பேட்டை காவல் நிலையத்தில் உதவி ஆய்வாளராக உள்ளார். தமிழக முதல்வரின் இல்லம் மற்றும் அஇஅதிமுக அலுவலகம் அருகே உள்ள இந்த சாலையில், போக்குவரத்து நெரிசல் மிகுந்த SIET சந்திப்பு, தேனாம்பேட்டை சிக்னல், ஆள்வார்பேட்டை என கட்டுப்பாட்டு அறை சொல்லும் இடத்தில் போக்குவரத்து சீர் செய்யும் பணியில் இவர் ஈடுபடுகிறார். இதற்கு முன்னர், ஐந்து ஆண்டுகள், பாண்டி பஜார் சிக்னல் அருகே இவர் பணி புரிந்துள்ளார். எட்டு மணி நேர பணி நேரத்தில்,பல குடும்ப விழாக்களுக்கு…

In the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Central, a corpse which was brought in seven months ago lies unclaimed even today; another such has been at the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) since December 2019. These are not isolated cases. Major government hospitals in Chennai are struggling to tackle the pressure of unclaimed dead bodies in their mortuaries. "The situation is concerning because the unclaimed bodies are taking up the capacity of the mortuary. Our morgue has the capacity to hold 60 corpses," said a doctor at the Dean's office in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).  The…

Dressed in white and khaki attire, he lets the vehicles at the Anna Rotary junction (under the Gemini flyover) pass towards Nungambakkam. It is 1 pm on a weekday and the mercury level is high. Perspiration trickles down the forehead of the serious-faced traffic cop, who stops a two-wheeler and penalises the rider for not wearing a helmet. Meet C Palani,  a stern, dark-skinned, 48-year-old Traffic Sub-Inspector from the E3 Teynampet Police Station who has manned traffic at various spots over a 10-km stretch in Teynampet, a busy area that is in proximity to the AIADMK office and the Chief…

Over the past week, the country has witnessed raging protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 that was passed in Parliament in the recently concluded winter session. Chennai too saw its share of protests led by opposition parties, citizen groups and civil society organisations and even a pro-amendment rally led by the BJP. In the aftermath of the Jallikattu protests at Marina, the beach has virtually become a no-go zone for any kind of protest in Chennai. This, coupled with the stipulations of the Madras City Police Act, means that protests in the city require prior written permission…

Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board's (CMWSSB) tongue-in-cheek tweet to coincide with ISRO's launch of Chandrayaan 2 was an indication that the department had finally got it right on social media. The tweet was a hit and the department, which had been heavily criticised for Chennai's water crisis this summer and the way it was managed, finally seemed to have touched the right chords in the hearts of its followers with this. https://twitter.com/CHN_Metro_Water/status/1153323842644824064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1153323842644824064&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252FCHN_Metro_Water%252Fstatus%252F1153323842644824064%26widget%3DTweet The CMWSSB has, in fact, significantly bolstered its online presence over the last three months, constantly putting out information about the lake levels on Facebook and…

With a stern gait and watchful eyes, Franvin Dani enters the D1 All Women Police Station at Poonamallee**. The station, which is just a few yards from the busy Poonamallee junction at Karayanchavadi, is a maroon and cream coloured building, just like most of the police stations in Chennai. It is a house that has been converted into a make-shift police station with a criminal cell, a room for the inspector, a typist's room and a waiting hall for the complainants. A posse of women constables rise up to wish their inspector and give her an update on the crucial…

On the 24th of April, 2019, as I passed the IIM-B/HSBC junction in a bus, I found this elderly gentleman working very hard to direct traffic. He was working with a smile, which is not usual for any traffic policeman around that time of day, 9am, which is peak traffic and congestion time. I was definitely struck by his enthusiasm and cheerfulness, so I wondered if the Traffic Police are enlisting the help of volunteers? I would certainly like to know...and to thank this particular gentleman for stopping my bus driver, who was creeping forward, with a smile...whether or not…