It is customary worldwide to give way to an ambulance. This practice is not limited to India; motorists in many countries habitually make way for ambulances. Some nations even have dedicated lanes for emergency vehicles. While Bharat does not have such lanes, it is essential for everyone to develop the habit of giving way to ambulances. However, a recent disturbing incident in Bengaluru involving occupants of an Innova car has caused widespread anger. The event unfolded when three individuals overtook an ambulance and attacked its driver. This has led to significant condemnation on social media.
In the shocking incident, a private ambulance driver was viciously attacked by unidentified assailants near the Nelamangala toll plaza in Bengaluru. The ambulance was enroute from a private hospital in Tumakuru to Vani Vilas Hospital in Bengaluru, carrying a critically ill five-month-old baby reliant on oxygen support. A distressing video capturing the harrowing ordeal has surfaced, revealing the heart-wrenching scene as several individual assaulted the driver through the car window while demanding he exit the vehicle. All this happened in police presence. Despite pleas from the infant’s distraught parents, who pleaded with folded hands for the ambulance to be allowed to proceed uninterrupted, the attackers callously disregarded their pleas.
“I was taking a baby from Tumkuru to Bengaluru. The baby’s health condition was very serious. While driving, I overtook a vehicle. Then they came and assaulted me. Whatever happened to me today shouldn’t happen to anybody else. Please get me justice,” news reports quoted the ambulance driver saying after the incident. The ambulance driver informed the trio about the critical condition of the baby, but they continued their assault. A policeman arrived at the scene promptly, stopped the attackers, and allowed the ambulance to proceed. The police identified the three accused and arrested them. They have been identified as Yuvraj Singh, Manjunath, and Latish.
The assailants, who were traveling in a Toyota Innova, were reported to have been enraged at being overtaken by the ambulance driver who was driving at high speeds as the baby was on oxygen support and in need of immediate medical attention. Video footage of the harrowing incident taken by a passenger inside the ambulance was circulated widely on social media on Sunday night. The visuals show the group of men verbally and physically abusing the ambulance driver, angrily demanding that he step out. The incident took place in front of police officers manning the Nelamangala toll plaza in Bengaluru, who can be seen intervening immediately and taking control of the situation, allowing the ambulance driver, who was identified as John, to race to the hospital where the baby was given medical care.
The Bengaluru Rural SP, Mallikarjun Baldandi, stated that an FIR has been filed in the Nelamangala police station, and an investigation is underway to determine if the attackers were under the influence of alcohol during the incident. Police have assured that further action are underway.
The incident has sparked discussions online regarding the concerning rise in road rage incidents in the city, with the opposition BJP representatives lashing out against the authorities in relation to the matter. “The rampage of thugs, shielding of influencers for extortion, unprovoked murders, all these are common in the @INCKarnataka regime. Even if you drive drunk in broad daylight on the roads of the state, the police will not stop you! The hooligans who beat up the driver while blocking the ambulance itself shows how anarchy is rampant”, wrote the account of the Karnataka faction of the BJP on X.
The chilling nature of the incident has resulted in a response from other ambulance drivers in Bengaluru, who stated in a report by The Mirror on the 10th of June that they have been subject to such experiences multiple times. They went on to demand strict punishment for the perpetrators, and added that unless they are provided ample protection from the police force, they will be forced to go on strike. Netizens on X expressed their shock and concern over the matter, and called for stricter monitoring to quell such incidents. Some of them also recalled similar situations that happened to them.
This incident also underscore the fall of cultural moors in the common public leading to such incidents of hooliganism and inhumane vandalism which is against the national spirit of Bharat.
