Why UP cop's 'thain thain' could just be an eyewash
“Hands up! Police ne tumhein charon taraf se gher liya hai,” said every cop ever in Bollywood. It would invariably be the penultimate scene of the film, the hero has already beaten the villain into a pulp, and the big bad guy has to just meekly follow orders now. If he doesn’t, then it’s obviously not the end of the film, a chase scene will soon follow, and then the “Thain thain. Dishkiyaoon!”
Guns in Bollywood always fired with a ‘thain’. No exception. None, whatsoever. But in real life they seldom do. At least that’s what one thought until one brave UP Police constable taught us otherwise.
On Monday, social media woke up to a viral video clip of a police encounter, somewhere in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh. A fleet of policemen were chasing a bunch of wanted criminals. One of the cops, Manoj Kumar, took his pistol out, aimed and fired. But nothing happened. Within seconds he realised his pistol was jammed. In the middle of an effing encounter.
#WATCH: Police personnel shouts 'thain thain' to scare criminals during an encounter in Sambhal after his revolver got jammed. ASP says, 'words like 'maaro & ghero' are said to create mental pressure on criminals. Cartridges being stuck in revolver is a technical fault'. (12.10) pic.twitter.com/NKyEnPZukh
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 13, 2018
He then went on to do something that could probably help build India’s case to have the word ‘jugaad’ included in the Oxford Dictionary. He yelled, “Thain thain” mimicking the sound of a gunshot. This, it is said, was done to scare the criminals and encourage his fellow policemen. The cops did manage to nab one of the goons. It is, however, not known if it was a result of Manoj's words of encouragement.
But that was Monday. Today we hear that Manoj is to be awarded for his bravery. Before your inner Donald Trump deems this fake, watch this.
So, who are these wanted criminals who’re scared off by onomatopoeic words? Surely those who’ve grown up gorging on Bollywood’s warped sense of reality. Because no way in hell would this have worked when the US carried out the encounter of Osama Bin Laden.
It’s either that, or we have solved the case of the missing confiscated marijuana.
Now Manoj and the UP Police subsequently, were trolled mercilessly on Twitter for this Ramleela-esque stunt. Yet what turn of events ended up giving the UP Police the idea of nominating Manoj for a bravery award is beyond me. Granted that anybody who has the nerves, or at the very least the sense of humour, to pull this off in the face of danger and potential death, deserves a pat on the back. But could this also be a sham to take the focus away from what’s basically staring us in the face? That Manoj Kumar’s licensed piston malfunctioned on duty.
Obsolete, faulty guns have been Indian Police’s biggest handicap, which only perhaps came to light in the wake of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. That night they were faced with some of the most dangerous terrorists, armed with guns that just won’t fire when you need them to the most. The consequence was death.
This time, though it wasn’t Kasab at the opposite end, it was still a civil servant’s life at stake. And all the UP Police is doing is brushing the real issue under the carpet. *swoosh swoosh*
In other news, David Guetta is working on his next, He Shot Me Down Thain Thain, ft UP Police.