'Hunting season' begins
I am a regular commuter of buses in Dhaka city. I am quite accustomed to the harassment by police sergeants that bus drivers are subjected to. The violation of the unwritten and unconventional norms leads to the inspection of 'papers' containing a Tk 100 note in general case. (In special cases it may rise to some 500 ). The police 'inspection' is crossing all limits as the Eid is nearing. Now at a 'strategic point' there are some four or five sergeants, instead of the usual one . And even the custom of inspection in case of violation of 'unconventional norms' has become null and void. They are charging the bus drivers at will. "Ami ki rong (wrong) korlam?" (what mistake have I done?) kind of plea is going to deaf ear.
Generally, there are two conductors in a bus-- one is there to collect the fares and the other to call people and more importantly keep an eye on the sergeant who sometimes hides in a nearby shop apparently to commit the bus driver to committing a 'wrong' and then to get the money. To my utter surprise I saw some buses employing an extra conductor with the sole objective to watch for the sergeants. Bus drivers also say that besides the 'strategic points', new points have been discovered and manned by sergeants. Even we, the passengers, sometimes have to sympathise with the unfortunate bus drivers who get 'caught' twice or thrice, in the span of some ten to fifteen minutes.
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