Celebrated author Amitav Ghosh has sounded alarm at a viral video of commuters being harassed during heavy rains in Lucknow. Videos of rain revellers harassing a woman and other commuters on the city’s waterlogged roads had been widely circulated on social media earlier this week, leading to the transfer of several senior police officers.
One such video showed a crowd of people splashing water on cars near Taj Hotel. Another video showed a woman falling off a motorcycle into knee-deep water after being splashed continuously by a group of rowdy men.
Kolkata-born Amitav Ghosh reacted to the clip of men throwing water at cars stranded on Lucknow’s waterlogged roads amid heavy rainfall. The video shows rain revellers opening the car door to splash commuters inside.
Ghosh said that in times of natural disasters, people generally band together to help each other. The opposite of this happening in north India does not bode well for the future, he said.
“Usually in situations of climate disaster people rally around and display solidarity. This was generally the case in India as well. The thuggery that is happening nowadays in northern India is a sign of a deep social unraveling and bodes very ill for the future,” posted the Padma Shri winning author on X.
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Amitav Ghosh’s opinion proved to be a deeply polarising one. Some agreed with him as they criticised the breakdown of law and order in the capital of Uttar Pradesh, but others said the problem is not a new one and slammed Ghosh for singling out North India.
{{/usCountry}}Amitav Ghosh’s opinion proved to be a deeply polarising one. Some agreed with him as they criticised the breakdown of law and order in the capital of Uttar Pradesh, but others said the problem is not a new one and slammed Ghosh for singling out North India.
{{/usCountry}}“This behavior is not new. If you ever traveled in what Indian Railways would designate as 3rd class coaches through Bihar and UP in the 80s, as I did, rampant hooliganism was par for the course,” wrote one X user.
“North India is losing its cultural moorings. Some may argue it lost them a while ago. Precisely when and how will be studied by historians,” another said.
“Bengal is safer for women? Northern India ? You are better than this,” a third countered.
In Lucknow East, the deputy commissioner of police (DCP), additional DCP and assistant CP were transferred on Thursday amid massive outrage over the videos. The entire Samtamulak police outpost and the station house officer (SHO) of Gomtinagar were suspended.
In a press note, Lucknow Police said a total of 16 people were arrested based on CCTV evidence by Thursday evening.