Reporter’s Diary: On Gurugram roads, temper is in the fast lane nowadays

Recent incidents have involved alleged assaults, vehicle damage and a biker being hit, leaving victims to cope with fear after the events.

A smile and an apology may help defuse a minor road collision in cities such as Mumbai or Bengaluru, even when you are not at fault. In Gurugram, however, they may not guarantee a safe passage.

(First from left) The widely shared September 14 road-rage incident on Golf Course Road, in which Shivani “Sia” Chauhan was injured; and another road-rage incident on the road on August 25, in which an SUV attacked a mother-daughter duo’s car. (@rebelwheels_sia_/Instagram; sourced)

Within a fortnight, at least three cases of road rage came to light in the city. The incidents may eventually fade from public memory, but the trauma and fear they left behind are likely to stay with the victims. In all three cases, the victims were cautious and tried to end the confrontation, including by apologising or simply trying to pass with a smile.

The latest victim, Madan Kumar of Sector 7, was intercepted on Old Railway Road and allegedly assaulted by four Scorpio-borne suspects on September 24. Kumar sought help from two friends, who took him to the New Colony police station premises. The suspects, who were allegedly drunk, assaulted the trio even in the presence of officers.

Speaking to me, Kumar said he had never encountered such a situation in his life. What remained was confusion and trauma.

A similar sense of fear was evident in the case of a woman and her daughter, who were travelling in their car when a Scorpio rammed them near AIT Chowk on Golf Course Road on August 27. The woman told me they had tried to end the matter by apologising, but the man in the Scorpio continued abusing them and eventually smashed their car’s headlight with a rod.

Then came the case of Delhi rider Shivani “Sia” Chauhan, who was allegedly deliberately hit by motorist Kalyan Bainsla on Golf Course Road on September 13. Footage from the camera installed on her bike showed the crash. Sia told me she was traumatised and might not go on rides for some time. She had only politely warned Bainsla to maintain a safe distance so she would not collide with his car or the divider. Bainsla allegedly rammed her, leaving her skidding several metres on the road.

I, too, faced a road rage incident in January while travelling to the office in Sector 67. Waterlogging in Baliawas had caused a traffic jam on the village road, and I lane-filtered on my bike through a gap of several feet between two cars. A Wagon-R driver became irked, alleging I could have hit his car.

I tried to explain the situation with a smile, but he appeared unwilling to understand. He called his friends and tried to attack me, leading to a scuffle. Locals intervened and separated us. I filed a police complaint at the Gwal Pahadi police post, where the suspect was detained. His father and brother accompanied him, but his father remained adamant that his son was not at fault.

I eventually chose to forgive them and leave. Police warned the man not to repeat such an incident before he and his family left. I returned to the office, but the incident stayed with me.

Debashish is a principal correspondent with HT Gurugram who covers crime, court, corruption, traffic, transport, and DISCOMs.