Kolkata Police uses BNS to clamp down on traffic violations

Kolkata: The Kolkata Traffic Police has started a new policy, booking errant motorists not only under the Motor Vehicles Act but also adding a criminal case section of the BNS for violations that turn out to be grave, such as reckless driving, dangerous driving and even signal-jumping that put public safety at risk.

Penalties and traffic citations would continue for minor offences but criminal charges would be applied in selective cases where the violations were deemed exceptionally grave or negligent, said a police officer. He pointed out for such an incident, a criminal case would be registered under Section 281 of the BNS, pertaining to rash or reckless driving on public ways, which could attract six-month imprisonment or a fine or both.

The policy shift was put into action on Friday morning when an electric scooter rider was intercepted at the f AJC Bose Road-Jawaharlal Nehru Road crossing for ignoring a red light and moving ahead, narrowly missing other vehicles. Police said though the two-wheeler was a low-speed electric scooter—it belonged to a prominent app-based rental company—, but the rider’s manoeuvring was dangerous enough to warrant criminal prosecution rather than a traffic slip. The sergeant detained the 18-year-old rider, a resident of the Tiljala area, and handed him, along with the scooter, to a police station for formal booking.