[Spitfire]

Someone is some other thread asked me why I use cruel words like Xenophobia and what is the context with Bangalore.

This is the Xenophobia I was talking about.

Whatever the instigation, a fatal attack on an unarmed person with a steel rod cannot be justified.

[praful]

Has an FIR been registered against the AutoDriver?

What ever be the reason, causing grievous physical injury to another person is punishable by law

[airguitar]

Having lived all my life in Bangalore, I have heard a lot of rick guys bad mouth people who don't know the language in nauseating ways and getaway. They don't ply their tricks with folks who are from Bangalore ( I get spoken to in Hindi always and they seem to think I'm not a Bangalorean and I shock them with my replies ) . That is not to say they don't fight with the local people, but they atleast know they'll get back a dose of their own medicine and the chances of the locals turning the tables on the aem is high .Likewise some bus conductors, they badmouth folks ( kannadiga or non-kannadiga does't matter to them ).

The worst thing is to get hit by someone reckless and spend months kicking yourself that you didn't do anything to protect yourself. NEVER fight it out with people on the streets, esp that late in the night. As someone said above it's better to get your car take the beating than your body.

Again I hate to generalize, but whatever segment of people we talk about, there are good people and then, there are bad people. But this is the first time I've heard an auto guy walking out with a steel rod for assaulting in 25+ years I've lived here. Maybe he wasn't an autorickshaw driver by profession, may be he was upto something else.

Please take the legal route and followup on the complaint.

[thedreamcatcher]

Whats new?

These days things are so scary to drive outside, you never know what can happen and when? Simple things is stay put, dont say anything, always try to be friendly even if the other person is hostile (i see it works several times, when i laugh it off and sa things like, areey sorry yaar, maaf karde, tusi great ho and so on. They also cool down immediately

Nothing to win or loose here. We loose more actually, if we get into a scuffle

Life is not worth a fight with such low life, be it anywhere in the country.

[zaks]

Follow up with the police and don't leave this go unpunished. What was your friend doing when the auto driver started hitting with his rod, didn't he shout for help? He should have dialed 100 then and there itself and apprehended the driver with the help of others.
Most probably the auto wallah was drunk. As usual no one comes to rescue on the streets, so use your brains and be alert for such things.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by zaks

He should have dialed 100 then and there itself and apprehended the driver with the help of others.

Most probably the auto wallah was drunk. As usual no one comes to rescue on the streets, so use your brains and be alert for such things.

Based on personal experience from my Airtel mobile 100 doesnt work. In addition, you have contradicted yourself in your post, marked in bold.

[thedreamcatcher]

^ hey with reference to this, even i was kind of surprised to know that 100 does not work on some operators. had a debate with my wife on this.

Apparently, we need to dial 080 100.

There was an article in the newspaper where some person treid this number in an emergency and could not get through, and then they highlighted this approach. Is this operator specific or all mobiles?

[Sudarshan]

^^ I have stored the local 100 , a land line number of city police exchange ( where they connect you to particular area booth/chowkey/station ) & also the number of local police station along with the traffic control room numbers .

The reason I had to keep them is that we run a marriage hall & there is always a large No of public gathering ( security perspective ) . I also keep the numbers of some good hospitals nearby .

The point is ,this proved very useful in informing police right from traffic Jams to other eventualities . ( they just ask your Name that's all as they have caller ID, they get your number )

This is Urban Jungle , Rules have changed since 26/11. This thing particularly came to notice as the Police surveyed our place & issued directions & when I talked to the authorities on security subject.

So better be prepared

Sudarshan

[shankar.balan]

yes Spitfire

I am a domiciled naturalized citizen of this state and have been for several years - i still find instances of xenophobia and parochialism quite often.
it is true that I dont speak the language super-fluently like a pure native would but I can communicate easily and politely with local people/ service providers etc. No problems in general but I have faced issues in the past.

I have been observing over the last few years - and this is weird phenomenon which applies to several places in India - parochialism seems to be coming to the fore everywhere. We have no sense of "One National Identity". Instances of this can be cited in Karnataka, TN, even AP in the South and some states like HR and UP in North India. MH of course goes without saying. Perhaps the East is the last bastion of civilized behaviour? Maybe, maybe not!

I do feel a part of the blame for this is to be laid at the door of our local politicians as well as films - because they tend to exaggerate things and glorify all the wrong stuff for populist reasons.

Other than this we seem to have a seriously bad attitude to ladies and worse, we seem to be perpetuating bad behaviour through the antics shown in the films, which causes a certain element of people to blindly "ape" their chosen hero of the moment!

Only education can breed tolerance. Thats what we need very badly indeed.

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Someone is some other thread asked me why I use cruel words like Xenophobia and what is the context with Bangalore.

This is the Xenophobia I was talking about.

Whatever the instigation, a fatal attack on an unarmed person with a steel rod cannot be justified.

[wildon]

This best method is, approach Kiirti.
TO REPORT AN ISSUE
call: 0512-302-6888
text: kiirti bangauto {message} to 56677
email: sudha@emoksha.org

[Chetan_Rao]

@Shankar:

Agree with you. We're fast descending into intolerant regionalism, and more than formal education, it's what kids are taught informally at home/school from an early age that matters.

Hindu and Muslim families tell their kids not to befriend the 'others', South Indians and North Indians mistrust each other, Maharashtrians are instigated against Biharis, so on and so forth. And I'm not saying any of this this w.r.t. politicians. All this stuff happens in/around our homes everyday, right among the peace-loving lot we would like to believe & project ourselves as. We either don't mind or think it's too inconsequential to have any lasting effects.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

yes Spitfire

This is alarming isn't it?

I come from a small state - Goa. As a kid we had friends from most states in India. South Indians, North Indians. We never knew who from whom. Neither did our parents ever tell us the difference. My fathers family itself is a part of displaced people who were asked to leave their state by the Invaders. Eventually coming back to the home-state after 1961. During the period they were sheltered in a neighboring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Their culture and mannerisms respected.

We have a history of Atithi Devo Bhavo.

So what went wrong? And why?

Some of the reasoning provided in your post does make sense. But a vibrant and educated city as this standing a mute witness to such incidents is certainly something I cant understand.

I understand kannada but I don't talk though - more due to the fact that I believe unless you are fluent you might disrespect the language itself while trying to talk. I even didn't go forward with my sons school admission to a particular school because they didn't teach kannada. I want my son to learn the language of where he is based.

I am not sure about other states, having traveled well but mostly as a tourist I never really got a semblance of any difference. From spending the night in the verandah of a postman's small house in the middle of UP to being put up by a family in Mangalore, I had a broken down bike. I never believed we would today see such behavior.

Hoping the general sentiment changes.

[black12rr]

Was the santro KA registered ? .

This is really sad and blood boiling .why the police have still not acted ?.I know the police will never act until pressurized.

See if you are beaten ,nobody will come to your rescue . But if you start beating the auto driver, you will have 100 auto guys pouncing on you and you are robbed,beaten and hacked to death .

What to do , shut up and go home ?

Under the Right to self defense , could the santro guy have hit back at the auto guy and even killed him ?. I mean that should be OK right?

EDIT :This is what the law says.
" A person who is in imminent and reasonable danger of losing his life or limb may in exercise of self defence inflict any harm even extending to death on his assailant either when the assault is attempted or directly threatened."

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by black12rr

I mean that should be OK right?

Killing someone is not easy. Self defense is more of getting away from a situation to a safer place. Not escalating matters.

If one is not sure about his abilities/skills - run. There is no ego here, you will leave to see another day. Injuries hurt.

[shankar.balan]

violence begets violence
our law in theory offers recourse to the victim
but in practice?? forget it.
better to walk away from such situations if one values one's life, limbs and time.

this is fast turning into a country where might will always be right - whether by way of goon-type muscle or financial power.

what is the use of paying taxes and living in a law abiding manner if the great machinery of the state cant even provide basic security and law and order to its citizens?