As I returned back home on my motorcycle after dropping my son to school for his scout meeting, I had to take a detour on entering my street. I had two choices, take the route through the market place or take the road, albeit from the wrong side, and get into my street quickly. I chose the route by which I had to drive against the traffic. As I took the turn on the road, my gaze fell on a man lying on the floor and another man, with a long stick with a heavy object tied to one end in his hand. This man was mercilessly hitting the man lying on the floor. I saw him hit once, and then again on the chest. The next blow was on the head. One, two, the third on his eye...and finally a very hard one on his skull....the man lay unconscious and the person assaulting went on hitting. I started to shout...there was a huge crowd...all seemingly watching a Bollywood movie shooting. None bothered to help. The assaulter, after finishing off with his job, calmly started to walk. I was on my bike, and I immediately rushed to the nearest police chowky. There, as in a typical Hindi movie, a constable, without his cap on, was talking away on a mobile phone. I told him about the assault, he seemed least bothered. I got annoyed and told him the person was walking away...still, he seemed least bothered. Then came another constable on his motorcycle. I told him about the incident. He looked at the other constable and somehow reluctantly he asked me to show where it was. I led him to the spot, but by then, the person had walked away. The constable on the bike...started to shoo away the crowd. And I, silently walked away, knowing fully well that it was the least I could have done. With the law enforcers so least interested, what else could an ordinary citizen do?
Thinking about it post event, so many things come to my mind. The police in Mumbai is so busy rounding up young educated Muslims in and around Mumbai, branding them all as terrorists to begin with. They are then put through the rigours of legal procedures and police treatment. Enough time passes by, sufficient enough to make them lose their mental strength. In the end, if they are truly not what they are made out to be, the weak easily submit and accept that which they were firstly never in a position to do and get branded as terrorists by law. Those, who survive the ordeal, fight it out and in some cases, are protected by the judiciary who sees through the ploy of the ineffictive law enforcement agencies and releases them. But by then, they've lost precious time in life, for which no one is accountable.
When the police are ineffective in dealing with live crimes happening right under their nose, how do you expect them to prove crimes which they believe have been done by those whom they catch hold of?
Another thing of note is the 'guts' of the people of the area in which I stay. This area is supposed to be the BHAI area of Mumbai. Majority of those who live here are supposed to possess the 'gut' feeling in them, sufficient enough to scare the law enforcers from enforcing even the easiest of traffic rules and regulations. But, when it comes to preventing an injustice to a person on the road, these very 'gutsy' people stand on the sidelines and enjoy the show. And those who venture to help, may end up becoming witnesses of the prosecution and would be liable to turn up on every hearing relating to the incident. And considering the 'excellent' functioning of the judicial system and the investigating agencies, the trial would go on endlessly. So who would want to venture to be an alert citizen.
Unfortunately, today, I too became one of those who quietly slipped away. However, I would have that little satisfaction that I at least tried. Considering my body frame and my inability to face a violent man, I cannot expect myself to have taken on that man headon. But I tried my best in getting the police to the scene. That they did not come in time or did not bother to begin an immediate search reflects on the capacities of the Mumbai police.
What a way to begin a Sunday!
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