Am I allowed to have Pepper spray in my car, asks B’luru man after being taken to station

Team Udayavani, Jan 12, 2023, 11:48 AM IST

Credit: iStock photo

Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, a man has sought clarification from Bengaluru city police on if a person is allowed to have Pepper spray in their car.

Allegedly, the man was taken to the Adugodi police station after cops on night patrol during a routine check told him that it was illegal to keep pepper spray in the car.

The man, took to his Twitter handle (@i_topg) to share his harrowing experience which unfolded on January 8 night while he was waiting for his friend in the car outside a mall in Koramangala.

In a series of tweets, the man wrote that he was waiting for a friend when a police constable showed up and asked him to step out of the car for vehicle checking. During the check, the cop found pepper spray in the car and stated it was illegal. The man justified that he carried the same for self-defense but the cop and another colleague, who joined him by then, mentioned situations where people have used pepper spray in a bad way and that is the reason he had said it was not allowed.

When the man began recording a video from his mobile, the cop acknowledged that it was allowed but it is not advisable to carry it. They then tried to convince him to stop recording a video and asked him to delete it. When he started recording again, the cops took him to the station.

“In the station one of his higher-ups started talking about the bad usage of pepper spray and asked me to delete the video. It had already been two hours and I just wanted to get this over with, hence deleted the video,” he tweeted.

“They also collected my information for what I don’t know. I then went outside to leave home where a police officer threatened me take action if I post the video. What action again, I dont know,” he tweeted tagging City Police Commissioner, DGP Karnataka and Bengaluru police.

Clarity about these
1. Can a police officer search any person/car at his will even if the person hasn’t done anything suspicious.
2. Am I allowed to have a Pepper spray in my car ? @CPBlr @DgpKarnataka @BlrCityPolice #Bengaluru #Police
10/n

— Iaamhere (@i_topg) January 7, 2023

Following the incident, DCP of South East Division CK Baba said that it is not illegal to carry pepper spray while clarifying that the constable questioned the youth as they found him suspicious.

Meanwhile, ACP Madiwala is conducting a detailed investigation into the incident.