In a shocking incident, an ambulance carrying a five-month old baby, who was in a critical condition, was waylaid by a group of allegedly intoxicated men near Nelamangala toll plaza in Bengaluru on Sunday, June 9. The accused had pursued the ambulance for several kilometers before forcing it to stop at the toll plaza, according to a report by India Today.
The assailants, who were traveling in a Toyota Innova, were reported to have been enraged at being overtaken by the ambulance driver who was driving at high speeds as the baby was on oxygen support and in need of immediate medical attention.
Video footage of the harrowing incident taken by a passenger inside the ambulance was circulated widely on social media on Sunday night. The visuals show the group of men verbally and physically abusing the ambulance driver, angrily demanding that he step out. The incident took place in front of police officers manning the toll plaza, who can be seen intervening immediately and taking control of the situation, allowing the ambulance driver, who was identified as John, to race to the hospital where the baby was given medical care.
"An ambulance driver was driving his vehicle fast and overtook an Innova car. The people in the Innova opposed him overtaking the vehicle. Near the Nelamangala toll, people in Innova took over the ambulance and assaulted the driver. We have registered an FIR and are investigating further. We will find in inquiry if they were inebriated when they were driving the vehicle", Bengaluru Rural SP Mallikarjun Baldandi stated.
The Bengaluru district police force released a statement on the 11th of June regarding the incident, and confirmed that a case has been filed against the accused in Nelamangala Police Station.
The incident has sparked discussions online regarding the concerning rise in road rage incidents in the city, with the opposition BJP representatives lashing out against the authorities in relation to the matter. “The rampage of thugs, shielding of influencers for extortion, unprovoked murders, all these are common in the @INCKarnataka regime. Even if you drive drunk in broad daylight on the roads of the state, the police will not stop you! The hooligans who beat up the driver while blocking the ambulance itself shows how anarchy is rampant”, wrote the account of the Karnataka faction of the BJP on X.
The chilling nature of the incident has resulted in a response from other ambulance drivers, who stated in a report by The Mirror on the 10th of June that they have been subject to such experiences multiple times. They went on to demand strict punishment for the perpetrators, and added that unless they are provided ample protection from the police force, they will be forced to go on strike.
Netizens on X expressed their displeasure and concern over the matter, and called for stricter monitoring to quell such incidents. Some of them also recalled similar situations that happened to them.