Road rage is a clear marker of the uncivilised

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A Delhi police constable paid with his life after rebuking a couple of men for drinking on the road, in a tragic and horrendous case of road rage with a twist.

Two people in a car were upbraided by a bike-borne cop for drinking. The cop rode near the car, after which the driver revved the throttle and hit the motorcycle from behind, dragging the cop some distance before hitting a stationary car, crushing the constable between two automobiles, stated the FIR accessed by the Press Trust of India.

The gruesome incident was caught on CCTV camera.

The cop has left behind his wife and a five-year-old son. It is shocking that the car driver and passenger reacted in such a way after being told quite rightly to stop drinking alcohol in the car, on the roads. There was a definite danger here as the men, post consuming alcohol in a stationary car, were sure to start driving it at some point. That could have resulted in accidents or fatalities.

We have so many incidents where arguments with traffic police personnel have escalated hugely, and police have been attacked by those caught. Sometimes these attacks have been fierce and several times, they have been fatal, too, with the cop being mowed down.

There has to be an appropriate response to being called out by the traffic cops. Even if you think you are in the right, violence is never an option. First, have a dialogue with the cop and understand why you have been singled out. It cannot degenerate into an ego battle.

There are avenues where you can argue and put forth your case. To actually kill somebody for this, makes you a murderer.

Calibrated responses and how to take the matter further can always be debated at the apt forum.