In a rarest of rare events, a Bengaluru-based sub-inspector was awarded after he stopped President Pranab Mukherjee convoy on Sunday, reported the New Indian Express. Before you jump to any conclusions, let us clarify that sub-inspector ML Nijalingappa, who was deployed at the Trinity Circle in Bengaluru on Saturday, did so to allow an ambulance to move on a priority basis ahead of President Pranab Mukherjee’s convoy. This act was so appreciated by the Bengaluru police that they decided to reward him for letting the ambulance move on. Not just praise from peers and superiors, many Twitter users took to the micro-blogging website to laud the traffic police officer.

Deployed at the Trinity Circle, Nijalingappa’s job was to ensure the swift movement of traffic on that road but when he had to choose between an ambulance and President’s convoy, the police officer decided to take a call for humanity. He allowed the ambulance to pass without thinking about the consequences. The President and city police department also appreciated the move and on Sunday rewarded traffic police sub-inspector M L Nijalingappa for deftly allowing an ambulance on a priority basis. President Pranab Mukherjee was in the city for the inauguration of Metro’s Green Line.

 

After the incident, the sub-inspector said he took the decision since it was an emergency case. “As it was an emergency case, I allowed the ambulance to pass the junction immediately after passing the message to senior officials. As there was enough space and time to let the ambulance pass, I decided to allow it before the convoy passed the area,” Nijalingappa told the New Indian Express.

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Abhei Goyal Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic East Division, later commended the policeman on Twitter.

Later in the day, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Namma Metro in Bengaluru and dedicated it to the nation. The Metro service was originally scheduled to be completed by March 2015 but the slow progress in tunnelling work on 8-km underground stretch led to delay in completion. The first phase metro rail project that fulfils the dream of lakhs of Bengalureans has reached the completion after missing several deadlines.