HYDERABAD - UNSAID TRAFFIC RULE

Minor accidents are an everyday affair in the city — ramming a car’s bumper in a traffic jam or brushing against a car’s rear view windows. While some give the errant driver a earful and let him go, most drag the negligent driver by his collar and end up beating him in a fit of rage before fleeing.

Drivers in the city wrongly believe that they have the right to beat up anyone who causes damage to their vehicle. Cops inform that while the errant driver can be penalised for causing an accident, the offence of manhandling or hurting the driver is a more serious one. They clarify that no one has the right to hurt the culprit.

Ashwin Balakrishnan, a 21-year-old, says, “One time, a guy riding a bike in front of my car was swerving as he was talking on his phone. I honked repeatedly to warn him. He suddenly hung up, stopped my car and began quarrelling with me. It was only when passers-by intervened that he backed off.” He adds that it is an unsaid rule that the guy who drives the bigger vehicle is usually at fault and it doesn’t take long for a mob to gang up and beat the driver.

Mob fury and the willingness of people to resort to violence even if the accident doesn’t involve them is also worrying. Ashwin adds, “I hate the concept where people beat up others in the heat of the moment. You can’t just rough up people who hit your vehicle.”

Avnit Karan, a banker, says, “I’ve seen a lot of accidents where the errant drivers got beaten up black and blue on the spot. Even a slight brush against a bumper or minor accidents erupt into full-fledged fights.”

Uniformed chauffeurs are easy targets as well, says Dheeraj Reddy, head of operations, Edubridge Learning.

Cops inform that often even women are not spared. Akun Sabharwal, DCP (central zone), says, “Recently, there was a case at Ravindra Bharathi where a man whose vehicle was hit, broke the glass of the culprit’s vehicle. On Sunday, a lady riding a two-wheeler who hit a pedestrian at James Street, was roughed up. If brought to our notice we can book a case against the perpetrator. Sometimes people are even hospitalised after being beaten up.” Additional commissioner, traffic, C.V. Anand says, “Motorists are advised to call the traffic or law and order cop if there is one nearby to sort out the matter. If not, note the number of the vehicle of the perpetrator and report the case to the nearest police station. No one has the right to beat someone else and doing so is a very serious offence. There are laws to tackle accidents. While the errant driver can be booked under 337 of IPC, those who beat him can be booked under 324 of IPC — causing hurt, which is a serious offense that can lead to imprisonment.”