On 26th January 2024, when the entire country was celebrating Republic Day, one genius in Guwahati thought – Hey! Wouldn’t it be fun if I drove around the city late at night with fake sirens and flashing warning red/green lights?
Crimes involving youth have suddenly skyrocketed in Guwahati. Be it a hit-and-run case alleged abduction or missing minors, all of these have put the residents of Guwahati on high alert.
On February 9, one 20-year-old was arrested by Basistha Police Station for his involvement in the hit-and-run case that occurred on January 26, 2024, which claimed the life of a 54-year-old Narabahadur Thapa.
What was even astonishing was that the youth, a student of BA/LLB from a renowned university in Assam Meghalaya border was out on bail on the same day of his arrest. Is the price of a man’s life less than 24 hours in police custody?
The arrest as far as authorities mentioned was based on a thorough investigation which led them to find the youth along with a black SUV, concealed in a garage at Six Mile which had a false ‘Govt of Assam’ sign along with fake red and green warning lights and siren used by the VIP officials.
What’s even more frightening is that his arrest further led to the recovery of a gang who were involved in modifying their cars with fake sirens and plying on the roads of Guwahati without caring much about the law or pedestrians. A total of 10 cars were seized during this bust, as reported by the City Police.
Although the bust was good news how long could they be kept from the roads? Media reports stated that the youth responsible for the accident had a prior history with law enforcement – an accident here, a molestation there which he used his alleged influential background to get out of jail.
This is not the first time that something like this has surfaced, not in Guwahati and of course not in India.
The most recent incident would be the one where a man tried to pull a girl inside his car in a crowded street in Paltan Bazar and then ran over her when failed to take her.
Guess who has a prior too? Ding! Ding! Ding! This person too allegedly has a long record of getting into trouble.
How are people getting so audacious that they feel they are entitled to pull a stunt like that?
Since we are painting a bigger picture, here is another incident where class 12 students were reportedly seen flaunting their parents’ swanky vehicles in Ludhiana by organising “car rallies” to mark their farewell celebrations.
Media reports stated that high-end, ultra-luxurious vehicles plied through the highways as part of these “farewell parties”, with underage students behind the wheel. Students leaning out from the vehicles’ windows, dance through the sunroofs, click selfies, and flout traffic rules, endangering their safety as well as that of others.
To make matters worse, videos of these rallies are uploaded on social media platforms like Instagram with songs glorifying weapons and openly challenging the police. Despite the reckless trend, the police couldn’t hold anyone.
The school shied away from responsibility saying they can’t be held responsible for actions outside school, the students who are mostly minors replied saying it was only for fun and the parents were not available for any comment.
All I am saying is that it takes only one mistake to turn fun into something horrible.
These are only a few cases which just highlight the bigger problem how these students, minors, and youth are playing with fire, pushing themselves to the edge risking themselves as well as people around them just in the name of some fun.
With high contacts and influential parents who are serving as their free get-out-of-jail card, there is no accountability, no punishment and worse no remorse.
Once they are out, there is really no telling if these incidents won’t be repeated in future.
(All views and opinions expressed in the article are the author's own)