Watch Sidharth road accident video. Let your conscience bleed
When a rich businessman father's bratty son did a Salman Khan on the streets of a posh locality in Delhi on Monday (April 4) night, a family lost their only son - 32-year-old Sidharth Sharma - who was flung 15 feet into the air and, quite literally, fell to his death. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but breathed his last there, succumbing to the injuries.
Sidharth, marketing head of a multinational enterprise, had just bought a takeaway from a noddle stand and was heading home for a good night's sleep when the negligent 17-year-old's Mercedes put an end to the dreams and aspirations of a family.
The accused teenager who was apparently behind the wheel, a class 12 student, and his friends who were inside the car, fled the spot immediately after the hit, and I can't help but believe they did so only because the car's front tyres burst and went over a footpath. Else, they'd have just sped away, blinded by luxury and guilt, and an NDTV report says they were already being chased by two bikers who had apparently escaped miraculously from the brat's driving skills.
The accused was later arrested under laws for underage offenders by the Delhi Police but was let off on bail, because he was a minor. The businessman who initially lied to the police that he was behind the wheel, retracted his statement later.
A case of negligent driving amounting to murder has been charged against the teenager and the father has been charged for allowing a minor to drive, but not arrested yet. I somehow get a feeling that the day this fellow gets his class 12 results, his father will ensure he leaves our country and never returns till the case is solved, either by putting up a dummy driver, or by pulling off another Salman Khan case where the car rammed into people sleeping on the streets, but was driven by none!
Sidharth's father said, "From today we are going to live as a dead family..." and I know that is true. In fact, that is the only truth left in his life. Today, four days since the incident, a CCTV footage of the horrendous accident has been released by Sidharth's family on social media and, taking the bait, I clicked on the link to watch it.
I instantly regretted the decision, for that was the most saddening, disturbing video I have ever seen in my life. I could relate to that very moment when you're being hit, and the micro-second before it when you know you're going to be, since I met with an accident last month. I live to write this today, thanks to a few Good Samaritans who immediately rushed me to the hospital and stayed back till my friends reached, but Sidharth is not here in this world today.
As is customary, I tweeted my knee-jerk response to the video saying "no one should watch this video" and even doubted whether Sidharth's family should have released this video. A journalist friend responded to those tweets saying it is true that the content is depressing, but it is important for indulgent parents to see this video. She sure made sense and gave me food for thought. After six hours, now I feel everyone should watch this video of an innocent man being mercilessly murdered on the streets for no fault of his.
If you're a normal citizen of India like me, who goes to work to fend for himself and his family and hopes to get back home to take a peaceful nap after a tiring day, you should watch it, for you should know that some rich brat with a high-end car can ram into you anytime, anywhere, out of the blue, and your life will be over before you realise it.
If you're a parent to a teenager, you should watch the video to realise how your "come on, he's a big chap now, he can drive" can prove fatal to innocent strangers. Not that accidents don't occur by mistake, but accidents that occur because of negligence and arrogance could be stopped by you.
If you're a parent to a youngster, who you've raised giving all that you have, do watch this video to realise how your world can turn around at the hands of some rich kid out on a fun ride, and watch it to empathise with a parent who had to see the footage of his son being tossed away, a footage more dramatic and shocking than the most morbid ones created for movies.
If you're someone who holds an authoritative position in the society, or is an influencer, do watch this video to witness the truth, to realise the gravity of this incident, and to do whatever it takes to help Sidharth's family fight for justice until it's served.
Let this video wound you so hard that you won't forget this 32-year-old marketer, who would have had a fabulous career ahead, and force you to use your power to influence and reach out, be it online or offline, to spread the word and show solidarity to the obvious battle Sidharth's family will have to fight, for the accused are not ordinary citizens of this country, but those who belong to the powerful lot.
Lastly, if you're a teenager who has parents who can afford the luxury to let you drive a car before you turn 18, and can get hold of a driving licence for you, watch this video to know how you might end up killing an innocent for the sake of fun.
Watch this video so that you make a promise to yourself that you will never overspeed, never drink and drive, never jump signals and never take rules for granted. Watch this video so that next time your friends say "let's take your car for a spin, man", you will have the courage to tell them a solid "no".
Watch this video, again and again, to understand what Sidharth's friends and family will go through all life long, and to get motivated to fight for him and his family like you will have fought for your own brother if it had happened with him.
Sidharth, all you wanted was to go home and have a peaceful sleep, but you have been sent to an eternal sleep. Sleep well, brother.