Recently, a Shiv Sena MLA from Nanded delayed more than 2,000 passengers on the Devgiri Express at Mumbai’s CST for 56 minutes. Hemant Patil refused to accept the two 'side' seats given to him and his aide in the 2nd AC coach. So what did he do? He got the group accompanying him to continue pulling the chain, ensuring that the train couldn’t move out of the platform. Two other long-distance trains were also delayed

The son of a top J&K police officer posted a series of photographs on Instagram of his father’s abuse of power. The photographs went viral on social networking sites, evoking angry reactions. One of the photographs showed a man — apparently a policeman — helping the DIG (Jammu) wear his shoes

Well, the pictures and the incidents (above) are just two of the several incidents India witnesses on a regular basis depicting the blatant misuse of power. Recently, Delhi high court exempted CM Arvind Kejriwal from making a personal appearance at court every day in a criminal defamation case on the grounds that the presence of dignitaries “creates nuisance” in the courtroom. Not merely courtrooms but roads, airports, stations, events and other public spaces in India regularly bear the brunt of VIP ‘nuisance’.

Our Youth Reporters share their experience on the incidents that caused inconvenience to them. 

There is a lot of discrimination in India. Recently, one of my friends, Jainam Vora, experienced a dose of VIP high-handedness. Jainam had to appear for his exams and, as usual, flagged down an auto. His nightmare had just begun. The auto hardly moved an inch, as the road was blocked by a  celebrity who was obliging fans with autographs, not bothered about the traffic jam he had created. Even the traffic police were part of this circus. Jainam couldn’t reach his centre on time and missed the exam. I still remember how much he cried that day.

Ravi Sangoi, class IX, New Horizon Public School, Airoli, Navi Mumbai 

The incident took place when I had gone to Tirupati temple with my family. After a long, tiring journey all I wanted to do was slip into my bed. But when we reached the guesthouse, we were told that the rooms we had booked had been alloted to then CM of Andhra Pradhesh (undivided) N Chandrababu Naidu who was visiting and would be staying in the same guest house. Due to security reasons, anyone who had booked rooms was moved out. We had to make do with relatively less luxurious hotels. Our time for darshan was 7 am the next day. But this too was disrupted and we finally got to go inside the temple more than an hour later. Why? The CM was taking the same route and traffic had been stopped to let his cavalcade go by!

Akanskha Reddy, class VIII, Presidency School - RTN, Bengaluru

The movement of VIPs causes a lot of inconvenience to us, especially on the route I take to school. When senior leaders visit Bengaluru, the Service Road near Yeswantpur is blocked and we have to take a diversion towards the railway crossing. If we are lucky and trains are not scheduled to pass by, we can reach school on time. But if the swing barrier is down, traffic piles up and it is a while before we can go through. It is particularly irksome when one has to catch a flight.

Ankitha S K, class VIII, National Public School, Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru

I witnessed VIP-handedness when a ‘VIP’ had come to my locality while I was on my way to school. As usual the traffic came to a halt and I got late. That didn’t bother me as much as the fact an ambulance stood right behind me. Its siren was beeping which meant that a patient needed to be hospitalised. I didn’t know who it was; all I knew was that his/ her life was more important than the preferential treatment to a VIP. Ambulances are spared certain traffic rules but at that time, it was stopped for a good 15-20 minutes, which could be the deciding 20 minutes of the life or death of the patient. It’s time this VIP high-handedness came to an end.

Shruti Chakravarty, class XI, Sushila Birla Girls’ School, Kol

 VIP movements are a bane for the common man. What happens when a patient needs urgent medical attention and the ambulance is stuck in a snarling traffic jam? On one occasion my family had to attend an important function in Chennai. Due to President Pranab Mukherji’s visit to the city to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema, traffic movement was slowed down on several arterial roads for nearly half an hour. It took us 20 minutes to reach the bridge opposite the central railway station –  a stretch that usually takes a few seconds by car. If VIPs have to be given preferential treatment while travelling, why don’t they follow routes which that have relatively less traffic? Why inconvenience people who have to work, go out or need help?

SAHIRA B A, class XII, KV Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram

This happened when we lived near Kalidas Marg, home to the CM of UP; Mayawati was CM at that time. Everytime her vehicle passed by, traffic was brought to a halt for a good 30 minutes. Even a stray dog was not allowed to cross the road at that point. After the CM’s cavalcade went by, it would take hours to sort out the traffic mess. 

Gobindpreet Singh, class X, Lucknow Public Collegiate, Lucknow

Expert Says

We are one country
That is overly familiar with the term VIP. Everywhere we look, there are VIP signages – VIP parking, VIP tickets, VIP enclosures, VIP entries, VIP gates, VIP seats, VIP admissions, VIP pavilions …even VIP jails … nothing is immune from the VIP effect. Categories of “VIPs” seem to have multiplied manifold in every walk of life. For example, until a few years ago, road traffic used to be blocked only for a handful of constitutional authorities. Today, a great variety of characters are managing to bully local police officials into blocking the roads for them, when you are struggling mightily to negotiate the evening rush hour. Who are these VIPs after all? Folks who are supposed to be public servants? Actually the fault lies with us. More often than not, before the VIPs ask us to bend, we prostrate ourselves. 

The solution: If the govt feels its babus deserve the special treatment, why can’t it pay for the privilege, as would everyone else? If a politician or a cine star feels threatened and wants additional security, why can’t the political party or the star pay for it to cover the full cost, so that additional manpower can be recruited to serve the common folk? And to protest VIP movement, every time we are held up on the streets for the passage of a VVIP, let us all honk in unison loudly as the “VVIP” passes by, as a symbolic cry of the common man against this blatant misuse of power. The noise pollution will be a small price to pay for this apartheid.

V Raghunathan, Director, India campus of Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto 

Have you or any of your closed ones faced similar such situation? Share with us your experience in the comments below.