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Delhi CM fined for helmetless riding

What could be more ignominious for a chief minister than being jugged by the cops? Just when he's telling a bunch of journalists exactly what is wrong with the state, he finds he himself is in the wrong. But then, it must be galling for the cops to see the chief minister proudly break the law.

Which, perhaps, is why Sahib Singh Verma, head honcho of New Delhi, had to grin and bear it when a police inspector walked up to him in the middle of a press conference at the Delhi Water Board headquarters and handed him a challan fining him Rs 100 for riding a scooter without a helmet.

To add insult to injury, a challan was also served on Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Krishan Lal Sharma, who, helmetless, was riding pillion. The fine was again Rs 100.

His mug tinged with embarrassment, Verma hurriedly quickly pulled out Rs 200 and paid up pronto.

Verma and Sharma had taken a scooter ride while touring the BJP vice-president's constituency, Outer Delhi. About 10 days ago, Sharma had embarked on a 21-day tour of his constituency to solve the peoples' problems on the spot.

To aid the paparazzi, perhaps, the helmetless duo had whizzed off on the scooter, flanked by several policemen. The photographs duly appeared this morning in some newspapers.

With such glaring proof of their crime, the cops' hands were tied. So the order went out, "Pull in the chief minister."

Yeh Hai India

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