Trust me, we know them. We were scared of them when we were children, and we are scared of them now. Rightly so. Be scared. Because the so-called guardian of the law is often a half-literate, immoral rowdy who could not find a job, and the only job he could get with his minimum intelligence and educational qualifications is that of a constable.
This is not an insult to the thousands of good policemen in Mumbai. We know that you are not as educated or wealthy as the people whose lives are, in theory, under your protection. If society really has classes, you belong to the lower classes. In a cosmopolitan city, where people live the fast life, enjoy unheard of freedoms, the policeman is a grumpy, jealous, ill-paid grouch who is looking for someone to vent his frustration on.
It can be the couple necking on the rocks at Marine drive or Bandra Seaface. It can be the guy who has a new Maruti Zen. It can be that dude with long hair and sunglasses. The cop knows that you are easy prey. The cop knows that calling you a behnchod in front of your wife, or girlfriend will humiliate you, and you will not hit him. He uses that power, and he exacts his revenge on all the people who are so far ahead of him in life by harassing them and demanding a bribe.
