Mysuru: Enraged public smashed the helmet used by a policeman to highlight the injustice meted to them, during police crackdown on non-standard helmets through “Operation Safe Drive” in the city on January 3.

The city police had launched a massive crackdown on non-ISI helmets and half helmets as part of a special drive to create awareness among motorists on the dangers associated with their use in the city on January 2. During the drive, they had seized 15501 non-standard helmets in total during the drive apart from 1390 seized from various sales outlets.

The video of the public smashing the policeman’s helmet to highlight its poor quality has gone viral. Some men are seen smashing it in public glare and questioning the highhandedness in protecting the cops, when the laws are uniform for all. In the end, the affected policeman is seen pushing the bike over a distance without protective headgear.

The motorists in the city are up in arms against the city police for launching the drive which caught them off-guard and seizing their helmets post operation safe drives on January 2.

3-day relief period for motorists to buy new helmets

Motorists thronged helmet and auto gear outlets in the city soon after police launched the special drive, aiding spurt in sales of ISI/BIS brand helmets. However, there are complaints against helmet vendors of charging excess amount to make huge profits in quick time.

Police have given a 3-day deadline ending January 5, for motorists to buy new helmets with ISI/BIS certification. They have also told the buyers to complain against vendors overcharging during purchase.