How Bengaluru Police helped me resolve a road rage incident

The biker chased me for 100-150 meters and blocked my car. I called 112, provided his and his bike’s details and immediately received calls from the Electronic City Traffic Police.

BHPian alamodein recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

'What's up with these people? Why so much rage? Why is there no fear of the law at all?' These are the kinds of thoughts that keep spinning when I read about these ever-increasing Road Rage incidents in Bengaluru.

While I was reading about the @toroid incident and was commending his calmness and presence of mind, I also subconsciously continued to prepare myself to react calmly to such situations, so to avoid any escalations.

Never thought, I would be caught in a near about road rage scene this sooner.

On August 13th around 4 PM, while returning from my office, I took a right from the Jail Road Signal and then the first left onto Hosa Road. While driving in my lane, a biker without a helmet, overtook an auto in the opposite lane, hit my car’s right mirror. I ignored it as these things are quite common in my city's wild traffic, but this biker chased me for 100-150 meters and blocked my car. With my limited understanding of Kannada, I guess he seemed to be questioning my driving. To avoid disrupting traffic, I moved the car to the side. This video clip shows it all.

I usually proactively apologize when it’s my mistake, but this time it wasn’t. Apologizing would have only encouraged him to bully others on the road.

I turned off the car and got out to talk to him, (I should have left the Car in ACC, as it stopped DashCam recording further).

He was like 'I am local here (Nanu local)' and was on call with his friend/acquaintance. I pointed toward the DashCam and warned him everything was recorded. He was in his adamance and heroism. Some onlookers also gathered.

I called 112, provided his and his bike’s details, and immediately received calls from the Electronic City Traffic Police and ASI Ramesh from Parappana Agrahara Police Station. I shared my location with ASI Ramesh and received the complaint number and Hoysala Vehicle dispatch details via SMS.

Realizing his behavior might get him in trouble, the guy sensed his “heroism (or Rowdiness)” was backfiring. I got back in my car to wait for the police. He approached my window, repeatedly asking for my mobile number, which I refused, insisting we wait for the police. Sensing trouble, he fled the scene.

I called ASI Ramesh to inform him that the biker had fled and that I would visit the police station the next day with the DashCam recordings to file a complaint. ASI Ramesh asked me to wait, and he arrived within 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I moved my car to a wider road 100 meters ahead. He and PC Venkatesh reviewed the DashCam footage, validated the bike’s Reg. number, and found the owner’s contact details. The bike belonged to a nearby restaurant owner, and the rider was a worker there. Initially, the owner denied but when the police gave him some peace of mind, he sent his 19-year-old son to the scene.

I called my wife to inform her I’d be late due to the situation and that there was nothing to worry about. However, as a lawyer, she wanted to monitor the proceedings with the police and arrived at the spot in 20 minutes, accompanied by our friend/neighbor.

The owner’s son arrived almost 40 mins later and apologized, but initially claimed the rider was unreachable. When we mentioned filing a formal complaint that would result in the vehicle being impounded, he quickly called the culprit rider.

Interestingly, the culprit's bravado disappeared, and after the Police gave him some 'Prasadam' in their style, he was apologizing profusely, holding his ears, touching everyone’s feet, and promising it wouldn’t happen again.

Apologetic Rider

We discovered the rider's name is Chandru, a 22-year-old who recently moved to Bengaluru from Gulbarga to work at a restaurant. Despite being new to the city, he was already acting like a goon, trying to bully others without fear of the law. (I guess, the influence of today's action movies on uneducated jobless youth in Tier-2/3 cities?).

This made me wonder how I would explore and appreciate a new city, learn about its culture and people, and feel grateful to God for the opportunity. I guess that highlights the importance of education in shaping one’s behavior and outlook.

I must also mention that both police officers were patient and very helpful. We expressed our heartfelt thanks to them before leaving the place.

Before I conclude, I would also reiterate what has been discussed several times in our esteemed forum...

• DashCam is a must in today's times. In such a situation, always keep your car running or in ACC mode to ensure continuous recording. (I made the mistake of turning off my car.)
• If you’re threatened or bullied, remain calm. If it’s your fault, apologize. If the situation doesn’t defuse, drive to the nearest police station.
• If you can’t drive to the police station or are blocked, keep your windows rolled up and doors locked. Call 112 (in Bengaluru), explain the situation calmly, and share your location. Avoid interacting with the other party. Calling the police may itself discourage them from further escalation.

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