If you are in India, though you might not be getting an idea about the title of this post, you definitely have got a hint about its meaning… ‘Hit and Stay’, well what can you make out? Very little, right? So let me be a bit more precise. Actually the term that is prevalent is ‘Hit and Run’, but in India is it really the case? I mean the last part. Do you really need to make the effort of running after you have ‘hit’ somebody by ramming your posh SUV into someone killing them in the process? Well, if you happen to be somebody as general as me, you have got to run (only if you do happen to go drunk and drive and then hit, of course, by mistake) because the police will be after you, like they should be because of the crime that you have committed. But if you do happen to be somebody from the so-called ‘elite’ class, you just don’t have to run. Why will you, when you don’t need to?
Well, you drive and mistakes do happen. But punishment? Oh no! You don’t deserve any. Why? Because you have a high profile; you are from the upper strata of the society; you are a VVIP! Hahaha! That is the exact situation of the nation, I am afraid! Since our childhood, such cases are really not uncommon, in fact quite regular. Many a time, such cases of a millionaire ramming his BMW into people on the roads of Delhi or a drunk actor doing the same to innocent street-dwellers on the pavements of Mumbai or a spoilt son of a wealthy industrialist killing innocent people, travelling on a motorcycle, by smashing them with his luxury car have been heard. Things happen, we accept. But so should the punishment that must always follow. But does it really? Statistics will go so against it. In those cases, I mentioned above, which I know you can relate to so well, can you recount what was the fate of the accused? Yes, please, anybody? All of them were made free to roam about and drive again, taking the steering on their dreaded hands. Well, these were just three incidents. We have countless more to recall and feel bad about. These people do just kill and by the might of their power and the muscle of their position they can just evade everything.
You might be from the Film industry. Whoa! You can run free. You might, at the most face charges. But that’s it. In no time you will be out with your fans cheering up for you and even shedding a tear or two for that emotional speech you just gave out after leaving the court-room.
You might be from the ruling political party and you happen to commit the same ‘mistake’. Oh, the entire ministry will start batting for you and at the end of it, you will start calling the victim responsible for getting killed in that ‘accident’, you had committed. You will run free, of course with the aid of your government and the funniest part is that you will again win in the next election. Huh!
You might be one spoilt brat of a rich dad. You have just got the license to do anything, including killing innocents on the road. After that ‘mishap’, your dad will use all his wealth muscle to save you and you will run free, rearing up to take the next drive and telling that those unfortunate victims of yours deserved to die, just because they were sleeping on the road, as they don’t have a shelter. Poor soul, what pain do you understand of crisis. Come out of that posh villa of your daddy and you will feel it.
So basically this is the situation of the present society. It reminds me of those days of the Vedic Age cast system, where those Brahmans had got the power to do anything. These ‘Brahmans’ of today’s world are just thinking in the same way, I guess. Human life is just at their mercy. They can take the wrong lane, they can get on the pavement and drive, but you, the real ‘aam-admi’ have to be careful. They ram the car into you; it’s your fault, because ultimately you are paying for it by giving your life and they? They are out, driving again in search of their next victim.
Does anybody even remember what had happened, roughly a month ago, on Red Road, Kolkata? Same case! Another spoilt brat of some ‘super-dad’ had just knocked down a young IAF personnel, killing him on the spot. My heart, really goes out to him and his family in Surat. Those tears, his mother was shedding that day, after the tragic incident, who is going to answer for that? I still can't forget that scene. And mind you, he wasn’t an ‘aam-admi’. He was in the Air Force, getting prepared for the 26th January Parade. If he could have met such fate, can you really think of what is waiting for us? The next time, you go out of your house, are you sure that you are going to come back, with these ‘criminals on the loose’ around? A big interrogative that one should be!
