Bribery Is a Way of Life
Here’s another thing about India that foreigners have to understand. If you see someone slipping a police officer a few bills, don’t record it and post it on YouTube. That’s just the way things work in the country. We’re not supporting bribery here since it actively discriminates between economic classes, but that’s the reality of life in India.
If a cop catches you running a red light, they might demand a bribe so that the two of you can be on your way. The alternative is having your vehicle confiscated, temporarily invalidating your license, dealing with the court, and possibly paying through the nose. To bypass all this, people just hand money over to the underpaid officer.