Police Story - Aba and the Punjab Police
TLDR: A doctor tested (?!) me for COVID-19, I fought with policemen, shouted at them, they took me on a bike and got stopped by traffic police for a traffic violation. I escaped, saved a German guy as well. Also, IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!
From Rajasthan, I went to Amritsar, (Punjab, 20 km from the Pakistan border). As soon as I reached there, they locked down Punjab. Survived on biscuits for three days. On the fourth day, police closed the hostel. First I checked online, found the last flight from Amritsar to Delhi was at 10 pm that day and quickly booked the ticket. Then I went to the only hotel available to have lunch.
I walked past policemen beating people on the street! That hotel was full of policemen resting and chit-chatting. None of them knew English. They told me (via the hotel guy), "All flights cancelled. Airport is closed. You can't leave Amritsar". I kept showing my ticket and the live update of the Delhi airport website to show my flight wasn't cancelled. They were adamant. They even called the Punjab police commissioner and confirmed that all flights have been cancelled. I took a room.
At 4 pm, the airlines called me: "You are Abarajithan right? Your flight is at 10 pm. Seat no XX. Be there before two hours". I quickly gave the phone to the police. He still didn't believe it. Told me "That guy on the phone, he's trying to fool you. They are trying to spread misinformation. Don't trust them. All flights cancelled". I gave up.
Then, around 5 pm, a doctor arrived to test us for COVID-19. He sat 15 feet away with a big mask and a notepad, asked me "you got symptoms?", I said "no", he said "then fine", signed the official document saying I don't have it, and started leaving!
I stopped him and asked for help. He quickly called through his medical circle and got the phone number of the airport terminal manager! THE FLIGHT IS CONFIRMED. Now, police MUST believe. Because he's their own doctor.
A quick substory:
There was this German guy. He was travelling around the world on foot! The dude walked all the way from the Czech Republic (Europe) to India and was staying in a hostel when they locked down and threw him out. He slept in the street starving for two days, got arrested by police and was finally put in this hotel just as I reached there. When I was randomly messaging another German friend I found, the next day there was the last rescue flight for Germans. From Delhi. So, this guy considered dropping his 'on foot' policy and taking that flight. But the policemen kept saying there's no way to get to Delhi.
Okay, after the doctor confirmed the flight, police changed their argument: "Well, yeah. but the flight WILL GET cancelled. And here's a curfew. You can't get out of hotel". I got angry, so decided to have my dinner. At 7 pm, I argued again, and finally, they said "Ok, your risk. It will get cancelled. If you want, you can walk to their airport".
I FRIGGING BOILED!!
I shouted at them. The airport is 13 km away. Since morning, I have been telling them to just let me go. If they had simply agreed, I'd've happily walked for 3 hours. Everyone: airlines, Delhi airport, doctor and terminal manager were saying flight is confirmed, while only these policemen kept denying that as "fake news". They deny the whole day and with just 2.5 hours for the flight, they ask me to walk! After listening to my shouting, without understanding a single word, they said, "Okay, we'll drop you on a scooter".
So, 3 people got on this tiny scooter. The hotel owner, a policeman and behind them, barely clinging to the scooter, me! I went triples on a scooter!!! An authentic Indian experience! That too, with a policeman!
Anyway, a few km away from the airport, we got stopped by some... guess who... policemen. Those guys were furious. "Why do you ride triples on a scooter? Especially during a damn curfew?"
The policeman who was sandwiched between us on our scooter extracted himself. "Dude, I'm a policeman too". Another guy went "I don't care. Why did you ride triples?"
Those two policemen fought, finally came to a conclusion and we continued the journey. Got down at the airport. The policeman said, "Your flight is gonna get cancelled. How would you come back?". I said, "I'll walk".
The flight wasn't cancelled. It was probably the last domestic flight that flew in India. I escaped Amritsar, flew to Delhi, walked for an hour through curfew at midnight, arrived at my hotel and here I am, for over a month.
German guy: Once I tripled to the airport and confirmed the flight, I called him. Asked him to buy a ticket online and come immediately by harassing the policemen just like I did. He took the advice, ultimately got rescued to Germany from Delhi the next day.
Now, the punchline.
Last week, the Sri Lankan government decided to send flights and get students back from Indian cities. The first city they sent a flight to?
Amritsar!
