This is, what is called the “Murgha position” in Pakistan.A way to punish someone – often young students in school – for minor infractions. But this particular story of crime and punishment in Pakistan is slightly more novel.
In anticipation of cyclone Phet, the government barred people from going into the Arabian Sea. One daredevil rickshaw wallah paid no heed to this warning and decided to use the unusually quiet beach and
boisterous waves to wash his rickshaw.
But his crime did not go unnoticed by the vigilant Pakistan police. The offender was caught and duly punished albeit in a rather creative way. But I guess there really aren’t any laws on the books about punishments for rickshaw washing in the sea when a cyclone approacheth!
This picture has been doing rounds on the internet and I don’t have a way to validate its authenticity or timing. But it does give us some food for thought. And since yesterday, I have been thinking whether to be appalled, amused or appreciative of the vigiliance and creativity of this police officer!
What do you think?
A beautiful article from Sehar Tariq and very well written also
In some cases, it is probably not a bad idea to use murgha punishment. Some time back I read a newspaper report that the Pakistani police was employing murgha punishment in a market to deal with eve-teasers and apparently it was very effective in reigning them in! There was also a news story of an Indian judge making a couple of people murgha for smoking in court premises in violation of a smoking ban.
Someone who has to become murgha for smoking in a public place or eve-teasing will probably not do it again!
The question, however, as always, is whether there is a check on its abuse. When a police vala does your chalan, you can contest it too. Though if it’s the violation of a traffic signal, then it’s basically the policeman’s word against yours, and you are almost certain to lose the case. Murgha punishment is similar in that sense.
We should have blamed police for being corrupt and inefficient if they would have ignored the Rikshaw wala. For once lets not blame them and blame the people. I think police officer did the right thing. Instead of leaving him after taking some money from him would have made him corrupt but NO, he took notice of him and tried to punish him in a way that doesnt humiliate him socially nor makes him visit thannas and courts.
*a big round of an applause for the police officer*
Pakistani police is corrupt to the core and has inhumane practices. What’s this crap of murgha punishment? It is still rather humane as compared to those canings and bleeding heads that we see during protests.
It’s inhuman and unlawful for the Police to punish anyone like this. Punishment is decided by the judiciary and not the police. Instead of typing smily faces here and laughing about this, we as educated people should at the least voice our disdain & displeasure at this violation of rights and dignity of man and a clear violation of the law -i.e punishment without a trial.