After bus crushes man's leg, traffic cops watch him bleed on the road

Locals had to fight with the traffic constables in Malad to ensure that accident victim Salauddin Shaikh reached a hospital at the earliest

Don't hesitate to get involved and help an accident victim, the country's top court has said. But some traffic constables are a law unto themselves, as citizens found out on Tuesday, when locals in Malad tried to take a youth bleeding on the road to hospital. They were threatened and told not to interfere by the constables there, who just coolly stood watching, waiting for the police van.

Thankfully, the good Samaritans fought with the cops to have their way, literally and otherwise.

The 26-year-old, who broke his leg in an accident near Aksa beach on Tuesday evening, has expressed his gratitude for the locals who saved his life, even as the traffic constables simply stood there watching him bleed.

The constables also tried to stop the locals from helping Salauddin Shaikh, but the public fought with them for half an hour and managed to take the victim for treatment.

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"Had the locals not rushed me to a hospital, I would have died there of blood loss. They saved my life… the constables just stood there and even threatened those who were trying to help me; they slapped one man, saying I should be kept there until the police van arrived," said Shaikh.

"The Supreme court has ruled that if one sees a road accident, one shouldn't hesitate to get involved. The court had ordered having rules to protect 'good Samaritans' across the country."

Apathetic and how!
Shaikh, who works at a four-wheeler service centre in Malwani, had stepped out for a ride to Aksa beach to "freshen up", informing his boss Sandesh Kamble about it. Shaikh said that on his way he saw traffic cops on the lookout for helmetless riders. "I slowed down, but a BEST bus hit me. The next thing I saw was that I was on the road with my leg broken, heavily bleeding," he added.

Kamble said, "Fifteen minutes after Shaikh left, I got a call from him that he had been in an accident with his leg crushed by a BEST bus, and the constables there were not letting the locals take him to hospital. I rushed there and saw a group of boys arguing with two constables. One of them even threatened me when I offered help."

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A local, Nigel Mendonsa, said he was shocked to see a bleeding Shaikh lying on the road and the policemen not doing anything themselves and even stopping others from helping. "I rushed to the scene and halted an autorickshaw. I put him inside when one of the constables held my collar and demanded that I put him back on the road.

They didn't even have their badges on… I had to argue with them for half an hour before I could manage to leave with Shaikh. I took him to Ayush Nursing Home nearby," he added.
- With inputs from Rohan Koli