Delhi, India’s capital, has also earned enough notoriety as “Capital of Kidnapping Industry,” “Capital of Crime Against Women” and, of late, “Capital of Road Rage”.

The latest episode of road rage occurred on October 3 an RTV (a minibus) driver attacked the family of a doctor travelling in a car. The RTV driver hit the doctor and his wife with an iron rod. He did not spare even their child.

The doctor’s wife had to be transferred from the local Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital to the larger, medical college-affiliated GTB Hospital in a critical condition. The worst part of it was that the crowd present at the scene watched as mute spectators.

The crowd in Delhi always (or almost always) turns out to be far more cowardly than a similar crowd, say, in Kolkata or Mumbai. In Kolkata people are far less likely to allow such incidents in their midst. Mumbai, too, is like Kolkata in this respect.

It has become a daily occurrence on Delhi roads. So, watch out everytime you drive a car. Any moment you could fall victim to murderous road rage. And don’t count on fellow citizens to come to you rescue. Also, count the police out. They have more pressing work to attend to: extorting an Rs 50 currency note form each driver of a truck that passes by.
 

FAISAL HASHMI