Licensed to cane ?

Yesterday evening, I was walking to the neighborhood grocer to buy some garlic, needed in the kitchen to prepare a dish of mussels (kakka in Mallu speak, not sure about the Tamil for this).

The main road in our area is perpetually in chaos, due to two TASMAC liquor shops that are
too close to each other (diagonally separated by 50 metres or so, max). Since the Govt. has allowed so-called bars attached to every liquor shop, the roads are a mess with wrongly
parked bikes, cycles etc. Not to mention, the men that are standing around or walking about unsteadily.

Just as I turn the corner to get onto the main road, a police jeep with 2 cops passes me and
stops in front of one of the liquor shops. Leaving the jeep parked in the centre of the road,
with the engine running, the 2 cops jump out and start caning a group of guys standing nearby.

Imagine getting a whack on the bottoms/back with one of those police lathis. To the best of
my knowledge, the guys who got hit, were not in the midst of a brawl or any such nonsense, which could have invited the policemen's wrath. They were standing on the side of the road, which I do not really think is a crime. Getting caned for this is not only illogical, but also
high-handed behaviour on the cop's side.

I guess I was lucky not to have been hit. If I had been at that spot just a minute or so earlier,
I could have been considered part of the group and got caned, for no fault at all. I was so irritated by the cop's behaviour and wondered what I would have done if I was one of the
guys who got hit.

I would like to think that I would have protested and argued with the cops. But in reality,
would it work to argue with such guys, especially when they are using the power of their uniforms ?

Arguing back would only invite their wrath and could result in some case being foisted on
you - creating nuisance in public or something. Which means more trouble for you, making
the rounds of police stations and courts. So a rational person would, I guess, just try to make
a run for it and escape the stick, instead of arguing with these guys.

With the Gujarat cops in the news due to their trigger happy ways, I guess it is time cops
all over the country are re-trained to be public-friendly and to use the power vested in
them judiciously. And while we are at it, we should also re-work their salaries keeping in
mind that they are seriously underpaid. That should help atleast some of them in giving
up their corrupt ways.