Pune driver assaults woman over 'drive better' comment; Victim shares ordeal in video
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the man, in a speeding car, splashed mud on the woman, Jerlyn Dsilva, and her young passengers, prompting her to tell him to drive properly. Enraged by her remark, the man blocked her path and punch...
By ET Online |
BCCL - Non Copyright
In a shocking incident on Baner-Pashan Link Road, Pune, a 57-year-old man followed a woman riding a two-wheeler with two children and assaulted her after she asked him to drive more carefully. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when the man, in a speeding car, splashed mud on the woman, Jerlyn Dsilva, and her young passengers, prompting her to tell him to drive properly. Enraged by her remark, the man blocked her path and punched her in the face, all while his wife encouraged him from the car.
The assault
Jerlyn Dsilva, a 27-year-old marketing and communications manager at Sheraton Grand Pune, shared her traumatic experience in an Instagram video, showing her nose bleeding from the attack. She recounted how the man had aggressively pursued her and then physically assaulted her, paying no mind to the children with her.
Residents of Baner and nearby areas have expressed serious concerns about road safety and the lack of CCTV cameras following this road rage incident. The man, a retired engineer, and his 52-year-old wife have been detained by the police. "We are deciding whether to arrest them or serve a notice to cooperate with the investigation," an officer from Chatushrungi police stated.
Legal action
An FIR has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicles Act, including charges for voluntarily causing hurt, assaulting a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, and intentional insult.
Witness accounts
Visibly shaken, Dsilva described the incident in her video: "This man overspeeds, risking the lives of so many people on the road, and takes a left turn, pushing me to the side. He got out of the car furiously, punched me twice, and pulled my hair. He didn't care about the kids. I want to ask how safe the city is. Where is this going? I had two kids with me. Anything could have happened. I just want this man to be punished for what he did."
ADVERTISEMENT
Siddhesh S., a friend of Dsilva, further detailed the ordeal, explaining how the car followed her after she tried to avoid confrontation. Fearing for her safety, especially with children on her scooter, Dsilva attempted to park on the side, but the man followed, parked near her, and then attacked her. The children, traumatised and crying, were eventually rescued by passersby.
Navneet Verma, who came to Dsilva’s aid, described witnessing the attack from a distance of 100 metres. He and his wife intervened, pulling the man away as he assaulted Dsilva. "We caught him and handed him over to the police. We took the woman and the kids, who were frightened and crying, to a clinic on Sus Road, where they received first aid. By then, she had called her brother," said Verma, an employee of DRDO.
