'People want to stay away from trouble'

In the Amboli incident, Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes were stabbed when they stood up for female friend, who was purportedly being harassed by a few men standing by the way.

In the Amboli incident, Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes were stabbed when they stood up for female friend, who was purportedly being harassed by a few men standing by the way. And all this while, people present at the spot, including the staff of the restaurant, passers-by chose not to step forward and stop this heinous crime.

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But this indifference of people towards a crime being committed in front of them is more due to 'apathy' than due to the unwillingness to help the victim.

"There have been many cases where the common man has come forward to take action against injustice and helped the victim. These three cases are unfortunate but we cannot generalise people's attitude that they do not come forward to help others," said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime).

The police also attributed it on our upbringing, citing how we parents often ask their children to stay away from trouble, and perhaps this indifference and apathy results from that.

Dr Harish Shetty, a psychiatrist, said, "We want to be good but not effective in the sense that we will not do anything in which we have to take a stand or decide. People limit themselves to me, my family, and maybe some friends, nothing more than that falls in their ambit of concern."