Bangalore: During Ayudha Puja in Bangalore, the cops have converted the joy of giving into the joy of taking!

Ahead of Ayudha Puja, cops were allegedly collecting hefty sums of money from shops and other establishments in the name of festival donations.

In one  case, a constable even resorted to vandalism when he was denied money. “He was in plain clothes and introduced himself as Rajanna. Since I wasn’t around, he demanded money from my wife. When she refused, he threw a fit and kicked the vegetable baskets kept nearby, spilling the merchandise all over the place. The next day, he tried to bargain with my wife. I know of other vendors in K R Market who have coughed up anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, without resistance,” said a vegetable vendor from the market.

His stall, by the way, is bang opposite the City Market police station. If this is bad, bar and restaurant owners are in for worse. “They initially demand amounts between Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh. After some rounds of haggling, it comes down to a few thousands. After Ayudha Puja, the same story will be repeated during Diwali. Then we’ll be asked for crackers and sweets,” said a bar and restaurant owner from Gandhinagar.

Apparently this is the practice every year except the last year, when police chief Auradkar had issued a strict directive not to indulge in such behavior.

Not everyone in the department is demanding Ayudha Puja contributions, said a police officer. “Some officers are satisfied with whatever is given to them voluntarily, but a section of cops is pocketing huge funds in the name of the festival,” said the officer.

Police commissioner M N Reddi said the directions issued by Auradkar hold good even now. “If they are indulging in such harassment and fleecing, I will restrict them through an official order,” Reddi said.