Cops go soft on rogue driver

KOLKATA: It took Kolkata Police four days to act on a complaint and track down the rogue auto driver who ignored a desperate mother's pleas and dragged a four-year-old girl down the road for 30 metre near Sinthee last Thursday.
However, cops have slapped lenient and bailable charges (rash driving and causing grievous injury) on Sanjoy Das, the accused.Das is likely to walk free on Tuesday when he will be produced in court. DC (Traffic I) Dilip Kumar Adak said sections had been framed according to the complaint, but the charges will be amended in the future if need arises.
It may be noted that parents of the victim did not seek any harsh punishment for Das though his inhuman act caused grievous injuries to their child. "We really hope the accident will act as a wake-up call and auto drivers will go about their business in a more human and considerate manner," said Sarmistha Ghoshal mother of the girl. Transport minister Madan Mitra, who visited the victim's home on Monday, failed to elicit the slightest remorse from brazen auto unions and left the place with promises of acting tough against errant auto drivers.
After her school got over on Thursday, four-year-old Adrika boarded an auto near Kuthighat and clambered on to her mother's lap, who was seated on the extreme left in the rear. The auto picked up speed immediately and somewhere near Cutter Polar stoppage, it veered sharply to the right and then left to avoid a raised manhole, flinging Adrika out of the vehicle. A horrified Sarmistha held on to Adrika's arm for some time, pleading with the auto driver to stop. But the 26-year-old drove on, not even bothering to check out what had happened on the backseat.
As Sarmistha clutched on to Adrika's arm, her abdomen and feet scraped the rough road for about 30 metre. And then, the grip suddenly slipped and Adrika crashed on the road. Still the driver did not stop. It was only when the auto slowed near Sachhasipara that Sarmistha managed to jump off and ran back to Adrika, who was writhing in pain with deep abrasions on the forehead, nose and mouth. Both legs were badly bruised as well. Later, the right leg was diagnosed with fracture. She also suffered abdominal injuries.
"A little girl was dragged along like a piece of rag but everyone inside sat still. It was bizarre, as though I was having a nightmare while all was well with the world," Sarmistha shuddered recounting those couple of minutes. "Every time I shut my eyes, the incident plays over again. I was so close to losing my child," Sarmistha managed to blurt out before breaking into sobs.
She was rushed to a local nursing home and then to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The Ghoshals then admitted her to another private nursing home for better care. On Friday, the parents lodged a complaint at Cossipore police station. At the nursing home, they even encountered four-five youths, reportedly members of the auto union, who requested Ghoshals to withdraw the complaint as the driver was "a novice" and was driving on the route for just three months. "The men did not threaten. But they did not express regret either," said Anit, Adrika's father.
During his visit to the Ghosals' residence on Monday, Madan Mitra acknowledged rash driving by a section of drivers and even admitted that over-loading has become a real threat. Though he initially expressed the inability to crackdown on the rouge autos, pointing out that it would lead to chaos as lakhs of commuters would get stranded if autos stopped plying, later in the evening he spoke tough.
"We will stringently regulate the situation and crack down on errant auto, taxi and bus drivers. We have been watching the situation for quite a while and our patience is nearing the edge. On this auspicious day of Eid, I am urging everyone to follow rules. I will repeat this at the meeting with unions on Tuesday," he said.
Before taking leave, Mitra offered Adrika chocolates, but that was not enough to lift the spirit of the traumatized girl. According to Sarmistha, the accident has shaken Adrika so much that she now refuses to step out of the home and go to school. Plastered waist down and bruised all over her face, she now lies in bed, evading the eyes of strangers who dropped by all day to enquire how she was doing.