One Simple Request Turned Into a Nightmare

An older person witnessing an act of spitting by a cab driver outside a hospital in Thane is no rare sight in India. In fact, it happens every day, with many others remaining silent about the same issue. This particular senior citizen dared to ask the cab driver not to spit on the road. This was expected to be the end of the matter. However, this seemingly small issue ended up becoming a trending topic, a criminal case filed by the police, and an ugly truth about society.

Allegedly, the conversation between the elderly person and the driver led to violence, which left the older individual with a fractured leg. The act happened right outside Jupiter Hospital, a place where there is healing, treatment, and even humanity. Yet it was inside such a place that a call for civility ended up turning violent before a large gathering. While many people were outraged at the video that went viral and even shared it, why are they unwilling to stand up for themselves in real life?

The Growing Cost of Doing the Right Thing

Indians have long been taught to become responsible citizens. Campaigns by the government have instructed everyone to maintain a clean city. Children are taught at schools not to litter. Public health campaigns discourage spitting in public places since it causes the spread of disease and an unhygienic environment. However, such acts convey the opposite message. It suggests that speaking out can be quite dangerous.

In the present case, the old man did not create any trouble. He neither intended to embarrass someone nor did he do anything that could have harmed his reputation. All he did was point out the misconduct of some morally wrong individual. But rather than being appreciated, he became a victim of such an act. This is exactly the reason why so many people prefer to remain silent.

When they see someone jumping the queue, they don’t protest. If they find some litter being scattered all over the place, they just ignore it. Even when they find public harassment happening around them, they choose to turn a blind eye to such actions. Not because they approve of those actions but due to the fear of facing a situation similar to the old man’s.

The Crowd That Watches

Perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects about this incident is not the behaviour of the attacker, who exists everywhere in any society. But just as important is the way that people have reacted to their actions. This footage shows us that bystanders were present when this happened. As with any incident these days, there were witnesses.

But crowds have developed different behaviours than those that existed before. Once, when witnessing an assault, people intervened. These days, however, more often than not, they pull out a phone. They film. They observe. They comment. They post. But seldom do they intervene.

Technology allows any citizen to report wrongdoing, which has its benefits. No doubt many crimes would go unnoticed without video recordings. Yet observing an incident and stopping it are two different things. An individual getting attacked needs more than likes, views, and shares. They need help.

Sadly, more and more people seem to believe that filming a criminal act is enough. They consider using a camera to be action. And thus we get into a bizarre situation where an incident gets captured from several angles, while victims get abandoned by all sides.

Courage Has Become Entertainment

India adores its heroes. Movies on courage turn into huge successes. Heroic figures of the past who fought against injustice live on in memory for decades to come. Fans on social media eagerly applaud everyone exhibiting courage. But the problem is that while people may admire heroes, they may not act heroically.

While many of us enjoy being supporters of our heroes from afar, true acts of courage are far from glamorous. They happen at times when there is absolutely nothing planned and when no guarantees are provided in terms of success or security.

The old man from Thane exhibited the kind of courage that does not often get acknowledged. He simply saw something unjust happening and spoke out against it. There were many who agreed with him, watching the video. The challenging part was whether they could show such courage themselves.

It is much easier to be vocal from behind the keyboard than brave in the face of an enraged individual. And this is the crux of the matter in this situation.

When Respect for Elders Stops Being a Value

It only made the matter worse due to the age of the victim. Traditionally, Indian culture emphasises respect for elders. Children are brought up to listen to their elders, learn from them, and respect them. While there may be differences in opinion, there always remains the belief that elders need to be protected and not hurt.

This explains the reason behind the outrage that followed the attack. This is because when they looked at what happened, they didn’t just see an elderly man being beaten up. They saw their fathers. Their grandfathers. Their uncles. Their neighbors.

They reacted because they had been violated on a deeply moral level by someone who did not believe in what they believed was basic. This was an attack on a principle they believed was basic to their society. This makes the question moral, not legal.

A Rare Moment of Political Unity

One of the more unexpected things in the whole process was the response it garnered from rival political parties, who normally attack each other in their campaign rhetoric, allegedly coming together to assist in locating the accused and aiding police efforts.

Such situations are extremely uncommon in today’s politics. Its significance is not just confined to the arrest of the person accused of the crime. It shows that there are issues that transcend politics.

Decency, law and order, and justice for those who are helpless should not be the prerogative of one party or another. They are common concerns of all.

More Than a Viral Video

Just like other cases of its kind, the Thane incident went viral on the internet. Millions witnessed it. Thousands commented on it. Debate on news channels emerged about it. Public anger erupted on social networking sites.

But outrage on social networking sites has become the most convenient way out of the whole thing for people in today's society. Watching it can be easy. Posting about it can be easy. Commenting on how angry you are can be easy. Making a change in yourself is hard.

The real significance of the event does not lie in how many people viewed the video, but in the lesson we learn from it. For if society learns from this event that complaining or criticising others might get you beaten up or even killed, then all of us have lost out.

For the more people become scared of defending even the simplest standards of good behaviour in society, the more the very rules themselves will be sustained out of fear.

The Question Every Viewer Must Answer

The video shot by Thane is, in essence, a reflection. It brings to light the truth about modern society: we are good at being spectators. We see acts of injustice straight away, we talk about them all the time, and we spread information about them like wildfire.

What we fail to do is participate in what happens. The older gentleman whose actions were condemned by public spitting is a citizen whose actions are supported by the government and admired by everyone around him. His case will be viewed by millions. The man will be judged by millions. And millions will say he did the right thing.

The truth is, the actual problem lies elsewhere. In the event of an occurrence similar to the one captured on tape, will they speak out or grab their phone? That answer will define whether society becomes more responsible or more spectator-oriented.

References

1. The Indian Express– Coverage of the Thane senior citizen assault case.
2. Times of India– Report on Eknath Shinde's intervention and attempt-to-murder charges.
3. NDTV/PTI– Details of police action and public reaction.
4. Mid-Day– Reporting on the assault outside Jupiter Hospital and subsequent developments.

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