Varanasi: A shocking incident of road rage occurred in Varanasi last evening, where a policeman, traveling with his family, was assaulted by a mob after his car brushed an auto-rickshaw. The incident took place in the Rajatalab area, where the officer, identified as Ajit Verma, Station Head Officer (SHO) of Rajatalab police station, was severely beaten by a group of men after a minor collision.
The Incident:
The SHO, who was not in uniform, was driving with his wife and children when his car made contact with an auto-rickshaw. In a matter of moments, a crowd gathered, and road rage escalated into violence. According to eyewitness accounts, a group of half a dozen men dragged the SHO from his car and began to beat him, despite his pleas for mercy. He identified himself as a police officer in an attempt to defuse the situation, but his requests fell on deaf ears.
Verma, pleading for his family’s safety, was unable to defend himself against the mob, and videos from the scene show the officer being struck by the assailants, some of whom were wielding sticks. A constable, who tried to intervene, was also unsuccessful in stopping the attack.
Police Intervention:
Soon after, law enforcement from nearby police stations arrived at the scene, managing to disperse the crowd and rescue the injured officer. Both the officer and the mob have filed police complaints against each other.
The attack on the officer has raised serious concerns about law enforcement personnel being vulnerable to such incidents, especially when they are off-duty or not in uniform.
Public Outrage:
The incident has triggered widespread anger, with many condemning the assault on a police officer, while some are questioning the mob mentality and the escalating instances of road rage in cities across India. The fact that the SHO’s family was in the car at the time of the attack has further fueled public outrage.
For more updates on this story and other breaking news, visit Globalfinserve.