[download2live]

Guys lets get back to topic.
Someone has been beaten black and blue and the culprit walked off cool.
This is not good. No matter which city it is. Bangalore or no Bangalore.

Someday one of us might be in the victims shoes. Let the inputs be directed more towards that. How to deal with such a situation.

And as far as my 2 cents are concerned, there ain't much we can do other than to minimize the damage. Thats the bitter truth.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by w 12

3. Good for you. A large number of Hindus / Indians rightly believe in " vasudhaiva kutumbakam " , or the world is a family !

Can we come to the point please ? The topic is If an Auto driver attacks your vehicle breaking windshields what exactly should be done. Any lecture on Vasidhiav Kutumbkam or song is out of question here.

PS : I have posted my personal experience in dealing with such situation couple of posts back. If you have any alternative suggestion please provide here. Any theoretical / philosophical thread-baring or root cause analysis of the issue can be done elsewhere on a dedicated cause thread IMHO people are here looking for remedy as an individual who may face similar situation.

BTW: I do not see it as regionalism problem as such but this is a problem created because of certain gunda/politician/ film stars who want to see their posters with a garland under a flag pole and provide protection to Auto unions for any cause.
How ever we are dealing with an individual in such case and my personal experience is you can effectively deal with situation if you can make the guy think that he does not have enough time to go back and get support and his prime property that is Auto may get permanently damaged in the fight.

[sunishsamuel]

Very sad incident, and i am not surprised. Have been to similar incidents though i have not been the victim always.

The auto and cab guys seems to be the frustrated lot. VIP/fancy number and big car actually saves you in India (unfortunately)

In this case, the incident happened without much provocation, and i feel sorry for your friend. Please pursue the case with police if possible.

And agreed to the point, these guys are weak and try to act smart because they think they can get away with a sob story if in trouble. And they think every guy who wears a decent dress and got a laptop are:

- Computer engineers doing nothing but getting paid very high (as told to me by couple of auto and indicab drivers)
- Only they are deprived of the luxuries of life and even basic things are a luxury for them (but can afford to get drunk everyday)
- They think they can scare anyone and fleecing is their birthright.
- Anyone who got a big vehicle got it because they are lucky or lineage or black money. Only auto guys struggle !!

And a request to all my friends, practice patience, even if the other provocates, please ignore and let him go, give way and leave the matter. I was very aggressive when it comes to the road rage but later realized, my shouting/gyan is not going to change them, they will get their punishment at the right time for their (mis) deeds. And have personally experienced such things happening (call it karma or what goes around comes around)

[maximus.]

Time to read the thread "How to avoid Road Rage?". It has helped me in many ways.

We cannot teach road manners to all drivers we confront ,we are wasting time and it annoys them.I read somewhere that we should never wrestle with a pig.You get dirty and pig loves it.

[Alter_Ego]

Originally Posted by w 12

Got down from the car, went to him & told him in kannada laughingly

Buddy thats the problem.If the victim knew kannada then that would have been fair and the auto punter would not have tried to murder him.In other words the situation would have been evenly balanced.

But as we say while in Rome do as the Romans do its high time that we(all non KA registered softies by birth, including me ) stop cribbing and learn the local language and then fight it our verbally on the roads than with hockey sticks and jack hammers

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

Buddy thats the problem.If the victim knew kannada then that would have been fair and the auto punter would not have tried to murder him.In other words the situation would have been evenly balanced.

But as we say while in Rome do as the Romans do its high time that we(all non KA registered softies by birth, including me ) stop cribbing and learn the local language and then fight it our verbally on the roads than with hockey sticks and jack hammers

Trust me, you won't need to learn too much. Just a few common phrases will get you out of most situations. It's another thing if you get drawn into a lengthy debate though, but a debate usually doesn't happen, as everyone's in a hurry.

The first reaction makes or breaks the situation, and knowing some local lingo (however limited) definitely helps in reacting favourably.

[prince_pervez]

^^ Learning the language for the sake of arguing on the roads is not going to help. If you want, try arguing in english. You are bound to stumble enough to prove that it does not come natural to us. Native language is something we speak at home and is second nature. Using it for communication with locals and using it to prove you are local are two different things. It takes a great deal of confidence too to pull it off.
Well if you are going to speak through and through Kannada day in and day out in your home and offices for the next 2 years then its a different issue.

EDIT: On a lighter note, I might as well perfect my Arabic and chant a few verses from the Quran perfectly before hitting the roads, hoping to be saved from road rages with divine intervention.

[drpullockaran]

Now this is what I do when there are honkers behind me and I have the time. I have a hidden switch in my car which shuts the car fueling down completely. When the honking comes to unbearable levels I make sure the fellow behind me is closest and then shut of the engine. Get off the car and pop the hood. Pretend to tinker with the battery cables and all this while this guy is honking away. Next I put down the bonnet and ask him to push the car to the side of the road and since I have to navigate the car I am sitting inside. Once I am off his line my car magically starts. I profusely thank him for pushing and politely ask him to stop honking lest the car stops again telling him the car is extremely temperamental to noise pollution.
More often than not he gets the message. I had a Premier Padmini specifically for this treatment to pesky guys who honk for no rhyme or reason. I sold it a few years ago and now do this with my Junkindica. I do this only when I have ample time with me.

[amitk26]

Are you really naive to think that situation could have been handled by humor or Kannada? If you have read carefully in this incidence the victim had no chance to apply his wits. The auto driver was in his power trip ,just got out and started banging the windshield with a rod.

I agree if it is a honking kind of situation just a stare or hand gesture asking whats your problem works but this is different situation all together.
You need to understand a little bit of psychology to understand this behavior.

In a recent incidence in Raipur a group of policemen went to watch Hindi movie Dabang where hero is a corrupt policemen with kind of robin-hood streaks. Just when they were coming out an unfortunate gatekeeper asked them for parking ticket and they attacked and beat him up to death. This is simply because in their fantasy world they were identifying with a hero and doing what they saw on the screen few minutes ago.

Similarly in these cases most probably the guy is in some sort of fantasy world and he takes out his rage on rich good for nothing outsiders that is you. If you watch local movies this is a typical plot where a local son of soil takes on the world.

I have faced 2 similar situations where guy was just in attack mode, since no words were uttered I refuse to believe any amount of Kannada would have helped because he had no way to judge if I speak the language or not. One incidence was in front of policeman bang opposite to commissioner office. The policeman just kept on watching the show refusing to intervene.

Again I would advise don't let the situation to build if the other guy senses you are afraid he would be emboldened and attack you.

I agree right way is to report the matter to police and book auto guy for murder charge but then my personal opinion is why should one let that situation happen ?I would prefer few shouts and bravado rather then broken teeth and ribs. Just because we are educated and sophisticated does not mean a man with half the muscle power and one fourth the brain should be able to send us to hospitals.

[MAS]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Friends I have full sympathy with the person. I faced several such instanced. Two of them were near fist fights one at St. Johns hospital petrol pump where Auto guy took out a thick clubs. I got down from bike and snatched it . Another memoriable one was in front of commissioners office were I had to threaten him to burn alive on road with auto .

I would like to share few points based on my personal experience.
These guys invariably carry a thick stick / rod and threaten you but they will not attack if you do certain things.

These people think that you are outsiders and if they attack you you can not come back with a mob to burn their auto and that's why take liberty to behave in this manner.


1. Please understand no one will come to help or save you in this city you are always on your own. Why only in this city even I have observed people in bbay / mumbai are like this. surprisingly the bad and notorious Delhi is much more helpful in case of street fights.

For you information my first street fight here was with an auto guy bang opposite to commissioners office on infantry road, A traffic policeman kept on watching I pushed the auto wala to side not giving him chance to swing his stick and his comrades that is other auto walas came to help him to diffuse the situation.

2. Do not let the attacker think you are a "soft" software guy.
keep on shouting "tu janta nahi hai kaun hoon main " , You may be nobody but make believe the other guy that you are right hand man of some big builder or some other such guy, Never ever give an impression that you are a laptop carrying softy.
so keep all those company stickers hidden , I don't even keep parking sticker on my vehicle. Instead I have it on a badge which I hide in glove compartment once out of office parking.

Act manacingly and utter threats like " yahin jinda aag laga doonga " even if the sound funny and unreal to you. No autowala will fight back if he thinks that you are really capable of taking out a match stick and throw it in his petrol tank.

3. Learn to utter few gaalis , yes Hindi gaalis , Funny enough but these low lifes pretend to attack outsiders but always do rough talking using gaalis of same language. Even if you do not use these gaalis believe me they are life savers in such scenario. A few MC /BC liberally sprang in your threat talk makes it clear to the other guy that you mean business. They should not think that you are an educated .

4. When the guys brings out the rod , Do not feel threatened at all look in his eyes and come closer then 1/2 foot to his body so that if he swings the rod it wont gather momentum. Cach his rod / hand first and push him.
The key is to take war in his territory.
A lot of auto guys will gather after point 4 but they will now just try to diffuse situation . Remember any prolonged fight where auto is damaged / confiscated in police station is threat to his livelihood.

Do not think you will be beaten up , 95% of auto walas have frail undernourished body which is already weak by overdose of daru , So if you slap him he will actually repent.It is just that you are a "shareef admi" he wants to threaten you.

+1

I sympathise with the victim. But the points mentioned above are exactly my thoughts.

I'm sorry, but I cannot understand why we cannot defend ourselves by atleast portraying a strong head. I have many times done it and the issue gets resolved very very quickly and with no injuries. Many of you may think I'm just lucky, but I can tell you it works.

There is an old saying, "Offence is the best kind of defence". Don't need to follow it 100%, but don't portray yourself to be weak.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Just because we are educated and sophisticated does not mean a man with half the muscle power and one fourth the brain should be able to send us to hospitals.

Excuse me for disagreeing here but half muscle power ?
They have unions and unity. One of their kind is in trouble there are auto wallahs who will gang up even if their rides are billing at that moment.
Sophisticated meaklings will never bother to stop or help, exceptions excused. Its not me so why bother ?
Probably this will come to an end when the sophisticated class get their act together and standup/gangup against these menacing auto goons (only) every time one of our own is in a mess with them.
I wonder if our education has made us whimps and keyboard warriors only.

Originally Posted by MAS

There is an old saying, "Offence is the best kind of defence". Don't need to follow it 100%, but don't portray yourself to be weak.

The feeling itself that one might be out numbered soon is enough to make a person weak. These guys will seldom act rough if there are 2 or more male members in the other vehicle.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Excuse me for disagreeing here but half muscle power ?
They have unions and unity. One of their kind is in trouble there are auto wallahs who will gang up even if their rides are billing at that moment.
Sophisticated meaklings will never bother to stop or help, exceptions excused. Its not me so why bother ?.

Well sir I have N number of such encounters if they feel that guy can beat you mercilessly they will enjoy the show.

So remember you are just dealing with muscles of one guy. Others will keep a safe distance and not involve in trouble if they sense you know the way out. They will just join rather late to mediated and diffuse the situation.
Key is to threaten and neutralize that one attacker and then they will gang up just to save their buddy rather then beating you up.Belive me or not it is question of mental toughness.

Any way what other choice do you present ? To get beaten up black and blue and additionally suffer damages of 20-30 K

On my side I prefer to make clear verbally or non-verbally while I can easily pocket damages it would be hard for him to pay up for destroyed auto.

[Ohh!Oxygen]

This indeed is a terrible incident!! We can only imagine the ordeal he will be going through. I wish your fried quick physical and mental recovery.

As far as the incident goes, looks like a minor road rage turned into a nightmare. I would agree with Amitk here. You never know what the consequences will be.
If we start offending and in a tensed moment like a traffic jam, if anything goes wrong you always need to remember who has got more to loose.

[selfdrive]

I sympathise with the victim, doesnt seem like there was anything he could have done differently, so he should stop blaming himself if he is doing this. One thing I dont understand is the aggression of the auto drivers in Bangalore. The situation of this lot is pretty much the same across the country. I am in no way saying that auto drivers in other cities are saints, but I have never heard of so many incidents from other places. In fact, there is more corruption in places like Mumbai, more apathy in cities like Pune & chennai, small& bad roads everywhere. the software sector is quite strong in the otehr cities too, then why is this problem so much widespread in Bangalore only? Are the unions too strong? or led by goons? or any other basic reason?

[bblost]

Note from Team-BHP Support.

Please avoid going OT. What has happened is a very sad and dangerous trend seen in many of our Indian cities. Its not restricted to one state or one city.

Let us use this thread to advice and seek knowledge on how to avoid such a situation. And if a situation does arise, how to step out of it with the least emotional or physical damage.

Thanks for your co-operation,
Support Team