A Goa police officer on Tuesday compared himself to 15th century Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei after being targeted for the strict enforcement of the rule mandating the wearing of helmets.
"You may not believe in wearing a helmet... But there was a fellow named Galileo. Everyone (then) used to believe that the Sun rotates around the Earth. When he said Earth moves around the Sun, everyone abused him. Finally he was sent to prison. Galileo said, 'I will prove it with a telescope'. People still did not believe him and he died in jail," Goa Director General of Police (DGP) Muktesh Chander said while making an appeal during a presentation on road safety.
"Today, I am telling you that a helmet is necessary. I showed you a (helmet) demo too. You can try the demo at home, with a melon. If you still do not understand, then what can I do?"
Mr Chander added that those who do not want to follow traffic rules should sign organ donation forms so that their organs can be harvested in case they meet with a fatal accident.
He said that those who do not believe in wearing helmets should join conspiracy theory groups like the "Flat Earth Society", whose members, he said, continue to believe the Earth is flat.