Car and two-wheeler drivers in India who brush pedestrians and then become arrogant and slap the pedestrian or his/her supporters may face mob vandalism as retaliation
This post is based on a recent comment I made on my Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2248130752070156
Delhi: Day after kanwarias vandalise car, police claim vehicle occupants slapped one of them, https://indianexpress.com/article/india/delhi-day-after-kanwarias-vandalise-car-police-claim-vehicle-occupants-slapped-one-of-them-5297763/, 9th Aug. 2018
In India, car drivers have to fear the mob. This is the key Delhi police statement from above article - '“During enquiry by ACP/Punjabi Bagh, it revealed that one of the kanwarias was pushed by the said vehicle, which resulted in heated arguments between kanwarias and occupants of the car. It also came to notice that one of the kanwarias was slapped by the occupants of the car, which further agitated the kanwarias and they started damaging the car…,” said the Delhi Police statement released today.'
Ravi: I think it was foolish of the occupant of the car to have slapped one of the group of people of whom one was brushed by the car. I think the car occupants got off lightly in the sense that they did not get hammered by the mob, in response to the slap. Note that their car got vandalised by the mob.
I am not talking about right and wrong here. I am talking about ground reality in India in such matters. If Car wallahs (Car owners/drivers) brush or injure a pedestrian, they should be very careful in any arguments that ensue. Arguments that pedestrians should NOT walk on the road DOES NOT APPLY in many cases in India as many times, there is no sidewalk road, and if there is a sidewalk that gets taken over by makeshift shops (as is the case in Puttaparthi). And sometimes when the group is a large one, the sidewalk is too small.
I am not sure about this. But I would not be surprised if the law in India is such that if a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle, it is the vehicle driver who will have to prove that he/she was not at fault. So this car's occupants essentially tried to take the law into their own hands by slapping somebody after the car-brushing-pedestrian incident. So now if the car's occupants and driver go to court on the matter, they may find themselves to be in trouble!
In this context, I felt it appropriate to repeat what I heard from an old Swami student about Swami (Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba) instructions in such altercations in general (not specific to car/two-wheeler incidents). Swami said, 'Cheyi ettakudadu' (or something like that), which means, 'Don't raise your hand (to strike the person arguing with you)'. I think that advice is very appropriate for car-wallahs and two-wheeler-wallahs who brush a pedestrian in Indian roads where pedestrians are forced to share the road with vehicles, and the pedestrian or associated group shouts at them for having done so.
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Contents of my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2248130752070156, referred above:
The big risk while driving on congested Indian roads where pedestrians are forced to share the road with cars, is that of cars striking a pedestrian even if it at low speed. Sometimes the car driver gets away without any issues as the concerned pedestrian chooses not to create a fuss.
But sometimes, especially when the pedestrian is hurt/injured in a significant way, and there is a group of pedestrians around, the reaction is like what is shown in the video below. Note that the Times of India report claims that the car only 'touched' a person (pedestrian). Around 2 mins. https://www.facebook.com/TimesofIndia/videos/10156792882082139/
Delhi: Day after kanwarias vandalise car, police claim vehicle occupants slapped one of them, https://indianexpress.com/article/india/delhi-day-after-kanwarias-vandalise-car-police-claim-vehicle-occupants-slapped-one-of-them-5297763/, 9th Aug. 2018
In India, car drivers have to fear the mob. This is the key Delhi police statement from above article - '“During enquiry by ACP/Punjabi Bagh, it revealed that one of the kanwarias was pushed by the said vehicle, which resulted in heated arguments between kanwarias and occupants of the car. It also came to notice that one of the kanwarias was slapped by the occupants of the car, which further agitated the kanwarias and they started damaging the car…,” said the Delhi Police statement released today.'
Ravi: I think it was foolish of the occupant of the car to have slapped one of the group of people of whom one was brushed by the car. I think the car occupants got off lightly in the sense that they did not get hammered by the mob, in response to the slap. Note that their car got vandalised by the mob.
I am not talking about right and wrong here. I am talking about ground reality in India in such matters. If Car wallahs (Car owners/drivers) brush or injure a pedestrian, they should be very careful in any arguments that ensue. Arguments that pedestrians should NOT walk on the road DOES NOT APPLY in many cases in India as many times, there is no sidewalk road, and if there is a sidewalk that gets taken over by makeshift shops (as is the case in Puttaparthi). And sometimes when the group is a large one, the sidewalk is too small.
I am not sure about this. But I would not be surprised if the law in India is such that if a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle, it is the vehicle driver who will have to prove that he/she was not at fault. So this car's occupants essentially tried to take the law into their own hands by slapping somebody after the car-brushing-pedestrian incident. So now if the car's occupants and driver go to court on the matter, they may find themselves to be in trouble!
In this context, I felt it appropriate to repeat what I heard from an old Swami student about Swami (Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba) instructions in such altercations in general (not specific to car/two-wheeler incidents). Swami said, 'Cheyi ettakudadu' (or something like that), which means, 'Don't raise your hand (to strike the person arguing with you)'. I think that advice is very appropriate for car-wallahs and two-wheeler-wallahs who brush a pedestrian in Indian roads where pedestrians are forced to share the road with vehicles, and the pedestrian or associated group shouts at them for having done so.
===================================
Contents of my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2248130752070156, referred above:
The big risk while driving on congested Indian roads where pedestrians are forced to share the road with cars, is that of cars striking a pedestrian even if it at low speed. Sometimes the car driver gets away without any issues as the concerned pedestrian chooses not to create a fuss.
But sometimes, especially when the pedestrian is hurt/injured in a significant way, and there is a group of pedestrians around, the reaction is like what is shown in the video below. Note that the Times of India report claims that the car only 'touched' a person (pedestrian). Around 2 mins. https://www.facebook.com/TimesofIndia/videos/10156792882082139/
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