Bengaluru man protests traffic halt for governor as pregnant wife waits, netizens slam VIP culture; probe ordered

A Bengaluru man staged a sit-in protest on Old Airport Road on Sunday, claiming that his pregnant wife was stuck inside their vehicle due to a traffic halt enforced for a VIP movement. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

According to social media claims, traffic on Old Airport Road was halted to allow the Governor's convoy to pass.

In the viral video, a visibly disturbed commuter was seen sitting on the road in front of the police personnel. When police officials intervened, he allegedly refused to move, claiming that his pregnant wife was inside the car and required urgent medical attention.

He also questioned why VIP movements are prioritised over public emergencies.

The video was recorded by passersby and fellow commuters, drawing sharp criticism online.

Watch video here:

Here's how netizens reacted:

Social media users slammed the VIP culture on the city's already congested roads, raising concerns about the inconvenience caused to the public.

"Old Airport Road is already choking under underpass construction. Today, traffic was completely halted for nearly 30 minutes due to the Governor's movement. A man carrying his pregnant wife was stuck in the gridlock. When will public convenience matter as much as VIP convenience?" said the user who uploaded the video.

Sharing the video, IT veteran T V Mohandas Pai slammed the VIP culture and tagged Karnataka CM-designate D K Shivakumar, urging him to review traffic stoppages for VIP movements and alleged that police halt traffic for longer than necessary.

“Governor, please do see how people are suffering due to excessive security for your cavalcade. Please intervene to order them to reduce these very excessive stoppages. We respect you, and we deserve full respect from our Governor too,” he wrote.

Another user said, “Humanity should come first, not VIP movement. VIPs and political meetings can be conducted online to avoid traffic, crowds, accidents, and public inconvenience. Emergency vehicles and pregnant women should always get first priority on roads.”

“Kudos to that person. The government should arrange communication skills training for all those police officers who talked and handled him this rudely. People are more important than VIPs elected by people,” said another user.

Probe on

An inquiry was initiated on Monday, according to news agency PTI, citing the police.

A senior traffic police officer told PTI that an inquiry had already been initiated into the matter and that the facts were being verified, based on which appropriate action would be taken.

(With agency inputs)