- 23 minutes ago
A panel discussion examines the alarming surge in hit-and-run incidents across Indian roads following a severe accident involving female biker Siya Chauhan in Gurugram. Former IPS officer Dr Kiran Bedi highlights the absence of road discipline and fear of punishment, calling for interconnected surveillance cameras and dedicated police motorcycle interceptors to ensure swift arrests. The victim, Siya Chauhan, alongside her father Roshan Chauhan, recounts the terrifying experience of being deliberately chased and struck by an aggressive driver. Panelists including biker Pratiksha Das, SafeLIFE Foundation founder Piyush Tiwari, and riding instructor Suparna Sarkar debate systemic road safety failures, gender-based harassment on highways, lax law enforcement, and the urgent necessity of stringent penalties to prevent fatal reckless driving.
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00:00Okay, let's raise some big questions tonight.
00:02Why are these hit and run cases on the rise?
00:04How does one ensure road discipline?
00:07Is stricter laws the way forward or better policing needed?
00:10These are just some of the questions we'll raise tonight.
00:12I'm joined by Dr. Kiran Bedi, former IPS officer,
00:17someone who's looked at traffic for years.
00:19Also been joined by Pratikshad Das.
00:22She's a mechanical engineer and a biker herself.
00:25I also hope to be joined by Piyush Tiwari,
00:27founder and CEO, Safe Life Foundation.
00:30But first, to Dr. Bedi, on first glance,
00:32when you see an incident like this,
00:34where there are competing claims over what happened,
00:37but either way, the video clearly shows
00:39that the driver, after hitting the girl,
00:42didn't stop, but just drove away.
00:45And we are seeing more and more cases like this
00:48where whenever an accident takes place,
00:51the car just tries to run.
00:53Finally, this person was arrested today.
00:55But what's your sense?
00:57What explains these rising hit-and-run cases?
01:01The fear of not getting caught.
01:03They feel that they will get away.
01:07They are not certainty about punishment
01:10or they can get away.
01:13I think the fear of law is missing.
01:15Fear of punishment is missing.
01:16The need for better intrusive.
01:20Intrusive.
01:20I'm looking at the word.
01:22Close technology is the answer.
01:24Now, with these highways,
01:25we need the cameras interconnected on the poles.
01:29Cameras interconnected to detect.
01:31I was told, I heard the story,
01:33that their eyes were all dark.
01:35So, dark eyes should detect.
01:38So, if our video is well connected,
01:42it should detect
01:42and interceptors need to be around.
01:45So, cameras at the top,
01:47interceptors below,
01:48motorcycles particularly,
01:50who can quickly swing in
01:52when there's a message
01:53that there's a particular vehicle
01:54with a particular number
01:55driving faster
01:57or violating the rules and regulations.
02:00I think we must use more.
02:01So, that means more intensive cameras,
02:04intrusive motorcycle interceptors,
02:07and then more.
02:08Like when you drive overseas in America,
02:12you see the motorcycle
02:14coming in from somewhere in the bushes
02:16and catches you,
02:17the camera and the interceptor.
02:19And then you get caught.
02:20And third,
02:21the moment they get this culprit,
02:23they handcuff him.
02:24They handcuff him
02:25and seize the vehicle.
02:28Okay, so you're saying
02:29you need to put in place a structure
02:32wherein you can intercept.
02:34You can first identify,
02:36intercept,
02:36and then immediately arrest.
02:38So, the person really has a fear of the law
02:40that if he tries to even run away,
02:41the law will catch up with him.
02:43You're giving us the example
02:44of the United States.
02:45I just want you to press the pause button, ma'am,
02:47because at this moment,
02:48I'm joined by Shivani Chauhan or Sia
02:50and Roshan Chauhan,
02:52the father of Sia.
02:54Thank you very much for your time.
02:55Thank you very much for your time.
03:25But you're okay otherwise?
03:28You're okay otherwise?
03:31Yes, I'm fine.
03:33But when you hear Sia,
03:35when you heard today
03:37that the person who hit you
03:39in that car has been arrested,
03:41what was your first feeling?
03:43Because he had been,
03:45he had virtually run away from the law.
03:47He was finally arrested today.
03:48What was your first feeling
03:50when you heard
03:50that he's been arrested?
03:54Yes, I know from the media sources
03:58that he was arrested.
04:02And see,
04:04there was no shocking reaction
04:09that the person who hit someone
04:13who was intentionally hit
04:13and hit so quickly
04:15that someone could have
04:17been on the spot
04:19that someone could have
04:19been on the spot.
04:20So if a person
04:21runs after that incident
04:24and the police
04:25arrested him
04:26then obviously
04:27that person
04:28has been arrested
04:29and arrested him
04:32and arrested him
04:35a safe action
04:36this is the first step
04:38I think
04:38so
04:39what happened
04:39and
04:40after that
04:40when
04:42there is no
04:44reward
04:45for them
04:46and their
04:47three
04:48friends
04:48so
04:49I won't
04:50that
04:50there is
04:51strict
04:52action
04:54but
04:54this
04:56I'll
04:56then
04:57come to
04:57your
04:57father
04:57this
04:58today
04:58when
05:00his
05:00lawyer
05:01said
05:01no
05:01it
05:02was
05:02Siyah
05:02who
05:02was
05:03driving
05:04rashly
05:05she
05:05came
05:05in
05:06the
05:06way
05:06I
05:07had
05:07nothing
05:07to
05:07do
05:07with
05:07it
05:08I
05:08actually
05:08tried
05:09to
05:09avoid
05:09hitting
05:10her
05:10what
05:10will
05:16Siyah
05:18you want
05:18to respond
05:20you
05:22I'm
05:23asking
05:23then
05:23I'll
05:24come to
05:24your
05:24father
05:24so
05:24when
05:25his
05:25lawyer
05:27okay
05:28you
05:28ask
05:29me
05:29when
05:30I
05:31listen
05:33to
05:35I
05:35have
05:36to
05:36and
05:37have
05:37to
05:38be
05:38I
05:39can
05:40deny
05:42that
05:43it was
05:44not
05:44wrong
05:44and
05:46how
05:46can
05:47your
05:47client
06:17Thank you very much.
06:25And was he following you right through? Was this person following you when you were driving the bike? You were
06:31part of a group of bikers. This incident happened on Sunday. You were part of a group.
06:41So basically what happened was it was Sunday and usually the bikers go to the ride because there was no
06:51traffic.
06:53And at 7 o'clock in the morning, I was only one or two friends going with them.
07:00And I noticed that on the golf course road, when they were coming with me, they were talking to me.
07:09They were talking to me, they were talking to me, they were talking to me, they were driving, they were
07:14talking to me and I was scared.
07:18And I told them that they were talking to me and they were talking to me and they were talking
07:35to me.
08:06So it was intentional.
08:35Thank you very much.
08:38Thank you very much.
08:38I have never felt guilty.
08:41I wanted to thank the media.
08:45And in which way our car was placed on our car and the damage came into the car.
08:52It has come and it has gone on the social media and it has gone on the media.
08:57If there is not a camera there and it hits it,
09:04then I definitely say that if it doesn't get stuck today,
09:08then somewhere and somewhere and somewhere,
09:10sitting with my four friends,
09:12there is a lot of fun.
09:15And my friends say that I have hit a bike rider today
09:19and I am sitting here.
09:23So, this is not a problem.
09:27I saw a reel that was telling me that it is a girl or a girl.
09:33And the person who doesn't see this,
09:36he was driving a car for two days.
09:41He was driving a car and he was driving a car.
09:44He was saying that
09:46he was driving a U-turn.
09:50So, I cut it like that.
09:52But in the U-turn,
09:53the point is that you will slow your car,
09:56not that you will race your car.
09:58that I have to call.
09:59Yes, if you know the court's right of that,
10:01that person who can murder the criminal,
10:03you are saying the criminal,
10:06but now they have arrested.
10:08You have to call it as a bunch of rash driving.
10:12Yeah.
10:13you understand that it was a deliberate and intentional
10:15as your son was saying it was a intentional
10:18you want to believe it was an attempt to murder
10:21right?
10:24yes, it was an attempt to murder
10:26sir, if you hit a 2-ton car
10:29if you hit a race with someone
10:31then it works more than a goal
10:34the goal is still small
10:36and if you hit a race like this
10:37if you hit a race like this
10:39and if you hit a race like this
10:39and if you try to stop
10:41you don't want to stop
10:42and they are also going to die
10:45and at that time
10:46you can see them
10:48their hair is growing
10:49their hair is growing
10:49their hair is growing
10:50like that
10:52I'm drinking
10:52and the next day
10:54I'm making a saving
10:54and I'm showing my eyes
10:57and I'm showing my eyes
10:58that there was no mistake
11:00I didn't know
11:01it was wrong
11:03so it's not a small thing
11:04this was my daughter
11:06who had facilities
11:08and had cameras
11:09in India
11:10there are many women
11:12who have been hit
11:15who will also run
11:15and they will not have a story
11:16and they will not know
11:18there will not be
11:20where there are cameras
11:20there are not
11:21so like
11:22in Gurdjama
11:22in the city
11:53in the city
11:54I will not do it
11:55I mean you are part of
11:56a biker gang
11:57or a biker group
11:58I will not say
11:58gang word
11:59biker group
12:00you are biking every weekend
12:02now are you thinking twice
12:04I don't want to go biking
12:05because tomorrow
12:06somebody else may be out there
12:07who will drive like this
12:08and knock me over
12:09you will do biking now too?
12:13no
12:14no
12:15the incident
12:16why
12:16is going to be a little
12:32traumatized
12:33So I don't like that that it is like a person in mind that there will be a doubt that
12:38when we will not give them a chance to go to them,
12:41no matter how many people who are going to go to Delhi, who are going to chase, who are going
12:48to chase, who are going to chase,
12:49if they don't know if they are going to follow them, what is going to do,
13:00and then to go to Delhi and Gurgaon road.
13:04And I think it's time to get to see that there is a fear in my mind that
13:09I feel unsafe on Delhi and Gurgaon road and on the streets of Delhi and Gurgaon road.
13:17I want to ask you this. You said male ego. Do you feel because you are a woman?
13:22That's why the person thought he could get away.
13:24You are a male. That's why the biker thought I can hit her and get away.
13:30Yes, obviously. And I feel like I am not the only female rider
13:35who has faced this thing in my life.
13:38There are so many people who go on rides.
13:43There are also inter-city rides who go on long rides,
13:49who are going on the whole country's bikes.
13:51They have to face so many harassment.
13:54They have to chase them.
13:56And chase them, they will always take their car and comment.
14:05And these are all the things that you have to face.
14:10And I feel like if there is any incident that happens to someone with a person,
14:18and today I have a camera and I have a chance to take this incident.
14:24And I have to take all of this incident.
14:26So this is a message to all the female riders, and in fact, I will also say this to all
14:34the male riders,
14:35that if there is any incident with you, then please, independently and strongly,
14:43bring this thing to the world and tell you how many people are,
14:49and how many other people can take advantage of the other people.
14:55Well, Sia, all I can say, it takes courage to put all of this out in the public domain.
15:00So you have seen it.
15:02You and Roshan Chawanji, you both have come to this show.
15:05You have told yourself.
15:07I want to listen to you so that Sia,
15:10what has happened to anyone else,
15:13at least there is a little fear that the hit-and-run is unacceptable.
15:18I thank you both very much.
15:20Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you.
15:28Okay, there you've heard them speaking out for the first time in that sense so openly.
15:34As I said, I'm joined by more guests.
15:36We just heard from Dr. Kiran Bedi, a short while.
15:39I want to go to two bikers, both women, Pratiksha Das.
15:42Pratiksha, you heard Sia speak just now, your first reactions.
15:47Do you believe she was particularly vulnerable because she's a woman?
15:52So, sir, a similar incident has happened with me as well in the past,
15:56where I was chased by a few moped riders.
15:59Firstly, they get attracted towards the bike,
16:01and when they see the bike, they see a woman riding,
16:05they get more attracted towards us, and then they start showing off their skills.
16:09In my case, three moped riders started chasing me,
16:12and then they started pulling off wheelies.
16:16And after that, one of the guys, he suddenly hit me,
16:20and I met with an accident.
16:23And I broke my ankle, and I was hospitalized,
16:26and I was on bed rest for three months.
16:28So, this is not new for us.
16:30I've been riding for more than 14 years.
16:32When did this happen?
16:34When did this happen with you?
16:36In 2018.
16:37And was the person responsible for it caught, arrested?
16:41No, unfortunately, camera was not mounted on my bike.
16:46After that, I made sure that I do mount the camera.
16:50So, he hit you and ran away again?
16:52It was hit and run again?
16:53Yes, yes.
16:53He was pulling a wheelie right in front of me.
16:56He was showing off his skills to me,
16:57and that's how he ended up hitting me, and then he fled off.
17:02You know, I'm joined also by Piyush Tiwari,
17:04founder and CEO of Safe Life Foundation.
17:06does a lot of very good work
17:08when it comes to trying to minimize road accidents.
17:11Piyush, your first reaction when you see these cases,
17:14and as we have found one more case
17:16just mentioned by one of our other guests.
17:19How do you respond?
17:20Do you believe that these hit and run cases are getting worse?
17:23Kiran Bedi mentioning there is no fear of the law.
17:26Is it no fear of the law,
17:27or is it just lax enforcement of the law?
17:32Firstly, Rajiv, I'm very glad that Sia is doing okay,
17:36and that she had a camera mounted on her bike
17:38that captured the entire incident.
17:41But we have to understand that this is, you know,
17:44more than just a mere law and order problem.
17:47I think this is the road safety failure problem in our country.
17:52A car being used as a weapon is the extreme end of a spectrum
17:58that starts with behavior like tailgating, you know,
18:02punishment breaking, aggressive overtaking,
18:04things that are, you know, regularly tolerated on our roads.
18:09And then it reaches this kind of a situation
18:12where there is, you know, barely any impunity,
18:15you know, where action is taken with impunity.
18:18So this is most certainly an enforcement challenge.
18:23It is also a challenge of certain gaps in the law.
18:27You know, we know that there are jurisdictions across the world
18:30that have passed laws with regard to predatory driving,
18:35menacing driving, and, you know, calling them out
18:38as specific offenses in the law.
18:40We also know that multiple jurisdictions,
18:43in fact, our parliament is considering a demerit point system
18:46in licenses that would lead to suspension,
18:49mandatory training, and so on and so forth.
18:51But all of this starts when you start catching
18:54the basic offenses first.
18:55That's what creates an impression
18:57that you cannot behave with impunity on the roads.
19:00Because as we saw in this case,
19:02a vehicle was clearly used as a weapon
19:04to attempt to harm someone.
19:07So that's one very, very crucial point
19:08I wanted to convey that this is an entire spectrum
19:13which is ending with this criminal activity
19:15that we saw in this video.
19:18I'm also joined by Suparna Sarkar,
19:21Chief Instructor Founders School of Training
19:22for Aspiring Riders.
19:24Suparna, there will be those who will say,
19:26look, bikers become soft targets.
19:27There will be others who say,
19:28particularly on a Sunday morning,
19:30you will have, if you drive your bike too fast,
19:33that can become, you can make you vulnerable.
19:36How do you respond?
19:37Where do you stand on this?
19:39So, I am not just a biker,
19:41but I train people how to ride bikes.
19:43Mine is a gender inclusive facility.
19:44I train both men and women.
19:45So, I see the mindset.
19:47When someone is very new to motorcycling,
19:49they have their fears
19:50and it takes time to build reflexes.
19:53And incidents like these set a certain fear
19:55in the mind of people
19:56who are yet to start riding or driving.
19:59So here, I'd say that, you know,
20:01the road is no one's.
20:02It is everyone's.
20:04Why should there be very strict guidelines
20:06between who can ride and who can use the roads
20:08and who cannot?
20:09Be it in a car or a motorcycle, a truck,
20:12or say any bus.
20:14Anyone who is on the roads,
20:16carries not the need to know how to ride or drive,
20:20but also the responsibility for their conduct.
20:23How should their behaviour be on the roads?
20:25Because in case someone just misses out
20:28on following the rules,
20:29the consequences are extreme.
20:31In this case, I'm fortunate.
20:33I'm glad that the rider did not have serious injuries.
20:37But what if there was another vehicle coming from behind
20:39and that could have led to the rider being run?
20:43Right.
20:43So I feel that a lot of awareness needs to be created
20:47in scenes like this.
20:48It is a conjunction, what I see is,
20:50of a woman's safety issue,
20:52where a woman was riding a motorcycle,
20:54someone spotted, chased,
20:55and then tried to harass them.
20:57And it is also a road safety issue,
20:59where someone just mischews their power
21:02of being on a four-wheeler,
21:04coming too close, hitting a two-wheeler,
21:05which ought to leave the balance
21:09and then make her have an ultimate fault.
21:12So usually when we ride,
21:14not everyone carries a camera all the time.
21:16And it is not technically possible
21:18to be always in surveillance.
21:21What do we do when we have no proof
21:23of such incidents happening?
21:24Something similar happened with me three years ago.
21:26I filed an FAR today.
21:27I don't know where that case is.
21:29So being a victim myself,
21:30I know how much trauma it causes
21:32to again go back to riding and driving.
21:35And it is not possible to have someone guide us all the time.
21:39I take your point.
21:41You know, I just wanted, in conclusion,
21:43Kiran Bedi, the cops themselves.
21:45The police has to be sensitized.
21:47You see, what has happened in many of these streets,
21:49particularly now, there aren't enough,
21:51there aren't enough police officers.
21:52There's no fear of the law.
21:54As you said, you need interceptors,
21:57you need an entire technology.
21:58Here is Gurugram,
21:59Millennium City,
22:01high net worth individuals,
22:02but they don't have the basic traffic system in place.
22:05And the cops surely need to put that in place,
22:08particularly on these highways
22:09where people are speeding.
22:11But do we have roads for speeding bikers as well?
22:15Do we have?
22:17I think that's another point to ask.
22:19No, no.
22:19So are you saying that the bikers should,
22:21no, no.
22:21Are you saying that the bikers should,
22:23cannot go on a highway?
22:25I mean, it's one thing to speed
22:27or if they were crossing a certain limit.
22:29But where are the,
22:30I mean, the cops surely need to be there.
22:32Whether, whoever is speeding,
22:34whether it's the biker or the car,
22:35where are the cops in his entire sequence?
22:38No policemen anywhere.
22:39No, Rajdeep.
22:40I don't think I'm for biking,
22:43but do we have roads for bikers?
22:46The point is,
22:47do we have our roads for biking?
22:49Because look at the kind of jamming
22:51we have already on highways.
22:52And are our highways capable?
22:54Number two,
22:55are our highways connected by cameras?
22:58Do we have interceptors along the highways?
23:01I do not know.
23:02And I've seen when I'm also being driven,
23:05the way the bikers,
23:07bikers here,
23:08I've seen mostly men,
23:09the way they zigzag around,
23:11it's dangerous.
23:12I think I,
23:13we've all victims of bikers
23:16zigzagging through our roads.
23:17It's dangerous.
23:18How much do you expect the police to enforce?
23:21But we must need more technology.
23:23We must have interceptors.
23:25No, she had a camera.
23:26She had a camera.
23:27Ma'am, you know,
23:27the police have to put in,
23:29surely, more cameras
23:30right across all our roads.
23:32In this case,
23:33because she had a camera,
23:34the person could be identified.
23:35It won't happen otherwise.
23:36So, there are things that need to be done.
23:38As far as bikers are concerned,
23:40I'll give Pratik Shah a final word.
23:41Here is someone say,
23:43Kiran Bedi saying,
23:44you know,
23:45are our roads fit for bikers?
23:47You guys, in a way,
23:48have to also be careful.
23:49What will you say?
23:50Very quickly.
23:51Like Ma'am said that,
23:53are there any roads in India to speed up?
23:55So, yes,
23:56we do have racetracks in India.
23:58And we bikers,
23:59we are very particular about it,
24:01like the core community.
24:02So, if we want to, you know,
24:04speed up,
24:05we hit the racetrack.
24:06That's what we do.
24:08Okay.
24:08And we don't road rage on the roads.
24:11That's what we do.
24:13Okay.
24:13I'm going to leave it there.
24:15You know,
24:15in a way,
24:16this is a wake-up call,
24:17particularly for the cops.
24:19Once again,
24:20hit and run accidents
24:21are getting worse in this country.
24:22And they cannot get away.
24:24We're going to have to have
24:25an entire ecosystem,
24:26as Piyush Tiwari put it,
24:27to ensure that there is both fear of the law,
24:29but there are systems in place
24:31and the traffic and police in particular
24:33are part of that.
24:34I appreciate my guests joining us.
24:36Sia's story is a story
24:37that could happen to any one of us
24:39or any of our children tomorrow,
24:40which is why we thought it was important.
24:42Look at those numbers,
24:44just the number of road deaths
24:45that are on the rise in this country.
24:48Something is wrong
24:49and we need to ensure better road discipline,
24:52for God's sake.
24:53Appreciate my guests joining us.
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