Chandigarh:
Advocates Lakhwinder Singh Sidhu and Dr Rohit Shekhar Sharma on Tuesday said that ‘FREE LAW AID’ was launched to provide service to victims of road accidents, cyber crime, immigration frauds and Police Negligence, in particular. Sharma said that Free Law Aid aims to extend free legal help to the sufferers especially the Elderly, Women and Children and bringing justice to them. It will take up and fight their cases and render them free legal help. “We are looking for lawyers based at various Cities of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, who are willing to serve humanity and help the under privileged victims people by taking up and fighting their cases free of cost”, said Sidhu. “We are striving to make an all composite ecosystem comprising of legal, medical, financial and social aid to victims. Volunteers and Donors are welcome to join this noble crusade,” said Dr Sharma.
What could have been an addition to the long list of blind Hit and Run cases in Punjab, was turned into a ‘catching the criminal after a wild goose chase’ case by a brave High Court Lawyer.
On the night of August 21, 2024 Dr Rohit Shekhar Sharma, Advocate, Punjab and Haryana High Court was returning from Amritsar to Chandigarh. On the same road, his car was overtaken by a rashly driven Zimindara Travels private passenger bus coming from Jammu and heading to Chandigarh. Such was the recklessness of the Bus driver that the lawyer was left aghast. After a few minutes of driving further, on crossing Phagwara and close to Behram at around 8.30 pm, he saw a lot of people gathered around a motorcyclist, Balbir Kumar, 22, a trainee motor mechanic who had met an accident with the same Bus. The lawyer stopped promptly to help the victim and take him to some nearby hospital, but he had already passed away being severely crushed by the Bus. Rather than stopping and taking the victim to some hospital or informing the Police about the incident, the negligent Driver Braham Dutt chose to hit and run from the spot. The lawyer immediately dialled 112, the Distress number and got the incident reported with the telephone operator at the Police Control Room. He requested the 112 PCR operator to stop the Bus and apprehend the Driver since it was feared that he might hit and kill other motorists or people coming his way. But, to the Lawyer’s utter dismay and disappointment, the Operator told him that their duty was just to take information and pass on to the respective Police Station and and expressed her inability to do anything further. The Lawyer was given other numbers of Police Officers who were supposed to stop the Bus and catch the fleeing Driver, but nobody answered his repeated calls. The helpless Lawyer kept on following the Bus and making umpteen calls to the Police Help line 112 but no help came. Everyone from the Police Control Room answering his calls just tried to hush away the matter on one pretext or another, The Bus Driver, on learning that he was being followed, took the Bus to several villages and internal roads to get rid of the chasing Lawyer. But the Lawyer kept on following the Bus and sharing its live location and photographs with Police. However, all the SOS cries by the Lawyer and more than his 40 Calls could not wake up Punjab Police from their slumber and no Policeman or Police Vehicle was even seen on a 125 kms stretch from Behram to Mohali and span of more than two hours. The Lawyer got perturbed at the Police inaction and told the Police Control Room Operators that he will hold them accountable for their inaction at the High Court and will get them suspended. On hearing this, the Police came into some action and finally the Bus was apprehended when it entered Mohali. PCR Incharge of Mohali Mr Ajay Pathak didi a commendable job and formed a human chain to stop the Bus, A case was registered against the Bus Driver at Behram Police Station and he was taken there. Next day, he was let off by the Police. Now, he is back on the wheels of the same bus driving on the same route, as if nothing has happened.
‘Nirbhaya’ the shocking gangrape and murder which shook up the nation also occurred in a moving Bus, but in that case nobody noticed and complained about the Bus. On the contrary, here the cold blooded murder of an innocent young boy by a reckless and negligent Driver who committed the crime of crushing him to death and Hit and Run was reported within a few minutes and then consistently through 40 Calls and over a period of two hours, but to no avail.
In a border State like Punjab, where terrorists are spotted every now and then and smuggledArms, drugs and fake currency surface everyday, where rapes occur in broad daylight, the common man is given aconsilience that the Government and Police are here to protect you 24 x 7 and help is just a 112 dial away. Its just a farce and political gimmick to befool the people of the State and nothing else. The number 112 does not lead to any help or action by the Police or Government.
The SSPs and concerned Police Officers of District Nawanshahr and Ropar should be held accountable for Police inaction and legal action should taken against them. The Chief Minister of Punjab Mr Bhagwant Mann, the Transport Minister of Punjab Mr Laljit Singh Bhullar and the DGP of Punjab Mr Gaurav Yadavshould wake up and take stringent action against Killer buses plying on Punjab roads and ensure that the Drivers plying these buses have proper licences and non-challan history.
We strongly plead that the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act 106 be implemented in its true letter and spirit,wherein heavy fine and stringent punishment upto 10 years for people accused of Hit and Run cases is provisioned.
