A few days ago, I was on my way to school riding on my bike with one of my colleagues Mohanlal Bera sitting as pillion. After half an hour of journey, I noticed from afar that a posse of policemen (waiting in ambush for a prey) was on the prowl under a big tree leaving their jeep behind. I was in a moderate speed and quite relaxed for possessing all legal documents including my driving licence and just as I was about to cross their prohibited vicinity, someone from them standing erect on the edge of the road, waved his hand signalling me to an immediate halt (that my colleague noticed) but I was completely oblivious of his gesture and sped with same tempo. 

Just then my colleague asked me to stop, I hurriedly braked the bike to halt within a few metre ahead of them and one came to me saying that I required to show the papers to their boss sitting inside the jeep munching betel and spitting the red salive outside the window. My papers were checked, licence studied laboriously, spoke nothing, paused for a while, took out a proforma and got busy in filling the mandatory portions of the form (my name, address, bike no. etc). In between his creative writing, I discovered that it was a “Seizure List”.

After finishing his writing, the big fish took my licence and softly said that a petty case of “Seizure” is initiated against you, sympathetically informed me the name of a local lawyer to contact and also a meagre Rs 100-120 that I have to spend(quite unnecessarily). I strongly protested and wanted a valid reason for that whimsical misconduct.

After a mild belch, the big fish pointed out , “who is the other person with you”? I replied, “he is my colleague, he was late for school, so I picked him up on the way”.  “But he was without helmet that was his fault”, he said and finally spilled the beans that it was their “target month” as they had “pressure” from higher authority. I sensed the helplessness imposed on him and let it go, he handed me a copy and assured me that I had nothing to worry, the lawyer would execute the formality and I would get back my licence within a week, but until I get it, a receipt given by them would work for the seized licence.

I narrated the episode over phone to my brother Rajib Bhattacharya, who happens to be a lawyer said, that it is only the wastage of time and money. My colleague discussed the matter with the local lawyer referred by them and now I am waiting to get back the licence at the earliest.