Roamers do squats as policing goes lite without lathis in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A day after city police chief Bhaskar Rao advised the force not to use lathis while enforcing the lockdown, many policemen said they were finding it difficult to get itinerant citizens to fall in line.
But some cops adapted quickly without the much-scorned symbol of policing in India. Personnel deployed on Raj Bhavan Road flagged down youngsters on scooters and ordered them to do squats.Patrol teams in a few other areas also imposed the same punishment.
Videos of shutdown violators being made to squats racked up views on social media, with opinion divided over whether such disciplining measures were required. A section of commentators said everyone coping with unprecedent circumstances and should be offered benefit of doubt. But some others said police had no option but to be strict as social distancing and isolation were the only ways currently to check the spread of coronavirus.
Policemen said people were giving all kinds of reasons for venturing out and it was getting harder to determine which were genuine. “Some people do have genuine reasons and emergencies to step out, but many also make false claims,” a police officer said. “We make exceptions for people who need medical assistance and supplies or are tending to ailing family members and friends. But people should not misuse this avenue. We generally ask a series of questions to ascertain if someone is lying or telling the truth.”
Good Samaritans and nonprofit workers trying to help struggling or vulnerable groups, migrants for instance, said they were facing difficulties in moving around even though they were on the list those exempted.
A representative of a helpline started to supply food to migrant workers narrated problems he faced: “I showed my office ID card, still police were not convinced and insisted that I do squats. Finally, I showed my office WhatsApp group messages to make them believe that I was involved in essential work.”
Jurisdictional officers said their intention was not to harass people. “We are only punishing youths who step out unnecessarily and encourage others to violate the lockdown. Some even perform wheelies. We ask only those people who don’t have a valid reason be out to do squats,” an officer said.
Bhaskar Rao stopped the use of lathis after a public outcry over videos of policemen beating up citizens. In the circular, he said: “City police officials are not supposed to carry lathis when they are on duty. Only City Armed Reserve and Karnataka State Reserve Police can carry lathis, only if it is necessary.” He stressed that police personnel must remain calm and behave properly with the public.