Unable to pay bribe, man leaves new bike at RTO office in Thiruppur, embarrassing officials

Nagaraj from Angeripalayam, Thiruppur was told by the dealer he bought his scooter from that it has not been registered because officials at the RTO wanted him to pay more than the registration fee.

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Unable to pay bribe, man leaves new bike at RTO office in Thiruppur, embarrassing officials
Nagaraj taking the scooter to the RTO office in Thiruppur. Photo: Pramod Madhav

A man, who was not able to pay bribe for registration of his new scooter, decided to leave his vehicle as payment at the RTO office in Thiruppur with a signboard explaining his decision.

Nagaraj from Angeripalayam, Thiruppur bought a two wheeler on June 30, and on the day it was delivered he found that the dealer had not registered the vehicle. When questioned, the dealer said it would be registered the next day.

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When Nagaraj, who owns a spectacle frame shop, went the next day, the dealer told him that officials at the RTO office were demanding a bribe for registration of the vehicle. An upset Nagaraj filed a complaint with RTO officer Sivagurunathan.

However, even after a month no action was taken on his complain, and he was unable to use the vehicle as it is illegal to ride it without a registration number.

Left with no other option, Nagaraj decided to surrender his vehicle to the RTO on July 25. But he also made sure that everybody knew the reason by hanging a board on his two wheeler with the words, "Unable to pay bribe to the RTO, the vehicle is being surrendered".

Appalled by Nagaraj's actions, RTO officials, who were left embarrassed after their corruption was exposed, refused to take the vehicle. Sivagurunathan summoned Nagaraj and told him that the vehicle cannot be surrendered for such a reason, and to take it back.

What Nagaraj did was seen as hilarious and bold, but it served its purpose in exposing the level of corruption in various government bodies, taking forward what actor Kamal Haasan had asked people to do, i.e., expose corruption.

WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Unable to pay bribe, man leaves new bike at RTO office in Tiruppur