Seeking social media fame: Man sipping tea on road held for nuisance in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A 25-year-old goods vehicle driver bent on increasing the likes of his reels followers swell, recently made a video showing himself sitting on a swivelling chair in the middle of SJP Road, central Bengaluru, only to be arrested by the city police for causing public nuisance.
The accused is Prashanth, also known as Prasha or Simbu, who resides with his family in Nandini Layout, near Kanteerava Studio, off Tumakuru Road. He works as a goods vehicle driver on Silver Jubilee Park Road (SJP Road) and would make reels on the roads and pavements. A reel shared by Prashanth on April 12 from his Instagram account ‘simbu_star_143', where he has nearly 13,000 followers, recently went viral across social media platforms.
The social media monitoring wing at the commissioner of police's office noticed the reel, showing Prashanth sitting on a chair in the middle of the road, obstructing traffic. They notified the local SJP police station to take appropriate measures. Following this, the police filed a non-cognisable register (NCR).
They verified the Instagram profile and zeroed in on Prashanth the same day. They registered an FIR against him under BNS section 270 (public nuisance) on April 16.
A senior police officer confirmed that Prashanth was arrested on April 16 and released on station bail. The officer indicated that they would submit a chargesheet against him in court and based on the court's ruling, he could face penalties of up to Rs 5,000.
Prashanth later removed the reel from his account and assured police that he would not do reels on roads henceforth. According to a senior officer, he stated that he was unaware that his publicity stunt on the road could have legal consequences.
This isn't the first time Bengaluru's roads have become a stage for the strange and the absurd. Wheelies and motorcycle stunts in traffic are practically a ritual for many in the city, much to the frustration of the city's traffic police.
While the police regularly crack down on these thrill-seekers, they're far from the only oddities you notice up the streets. Over the years, Bengalureans have turned public roads into birthday venues (yes, complete with cake-cutting in the middle of traffic), film sets for TikTok and Instagram reels, and impromptu racetracks for rev-happy bike gangs who fit fire-shooting exhausts. Sometimes, you might catch random group of people dancing on the road as well.