PONDA: A mobile shop owner at Shiroda was forced to shut down his business, on Sunday, by angry locals for allegedly clicking their photos while violating traffic rules and sending the same to the traffic police under the Traffic Sentinel Scheme.
The events leading up to the shutting down of the business began unfolding late evening on Saturday, after over 200 Shiroda residents received notices of traffic violations with a demand for payment of fine ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 500.
Incidentally, according to the notice, all the traffic violations occurred near Goa Bagayatdar office, where Ramanuj Gupta was running his mobile shop. Gupta is a native of Bhiar but is residing in Goa for over thirty years.
Suspecting that Gupta, who has installed a CCTV camera outside his shutter focusing on the main road, for monetary gain, sent the video footage of their traffic violation to the Traffic Sentinel Cell at Panjim, over 200 locals cordoned off his shop and confronted him over the issue.
On learning of the huge gathering at Shiroda, Ponda PI Harish Madcaikar with a team of police personnel rushed to spot and tried to pacify the angry mob. And Gupta even offered to pay the fines of the locals, but the angry crowd did not relent.
However, the irate mob demanded that the shop owner should shut down his business and leave the village on the very same day. The irate mob alleged that they are expecting to receive another 600 notice of traffic violation, allegedly on the information submitted by Gupta.
The mob was so angry that they prevented the police and the media from either video recording or clicking photos of the incident fearing that the police might initiate criminal cases against them using the videos and photos.
Members of the mob alleged that the shop owner had installed the CCTV camera illegally. Besides, alleging that Gupta was running the business illegally, they demanded with the owner to terminate his leave and licence with Gupta there and then, which he did. With his leave and licence terminated, Gupta vacated the shop by 2.30 pm on Sunday.
Social worker from Shiroda Adv Diya Shetkar assisted the police in pacifying the angry villagers by assuring them that, if need arises she would represent them in court.
