It has been over two months since the accident. The involvement of a sitting MP (Bharat Raut) and his injuries gave enough juice for the journalists to cover the incident. ‘Shiv Sena MP Bharat Raut injured in car accident,’ beamed television channels and newspapers. Not a single journalist followed up the story trying to understand the cause. No one highlighted the absence of proper dividers on the expressway, checkpoints for air pressure and considering the number of accidents every day, lack of good ambulances or medical facilities. The police went on record stating it was a case of accident and nothing more. Within a day or two, the case appeared to be sealed. Obviously, the party’s PR machinery was working at its best.
There could be more such MP’s, killing more people if the apathy continues. ‘One of his car’s tires burst, what can he do,’ was the response from the police. ‘Can a tire burst just like that? Do you know when it will burst? Who should take the responsibility? The tire will burst only when the driver overspeed or when the pressure is inappropriate or when the vehicle is overloaded,’ exclaimed my wife. There could be more reasons but my wife wasn’t in a state to enumerate all. What was apparent was the indifference shown by the police. They had apparently not done any investigation. To make matters worse, when we asked for the documents – the police had none from the other party. I am left to wonder if the MP had a valid driving license or was he under the influence of alcohol? While we were asked to submit all the documents despite being in the hospital, the police had obviously exempted the other party. No wonder everyone wants to be a leader in India.
