Hyderabad: On the busy Keesara Outer Ring Road, humanity took a backseat as a road accident victim lay dying. Despite his pleas for help, bystanders chose to record his agony on their phones rather than rush him to a hospital, leading to his death.
The victim, 35-year-old V. Elender, a resident of Rampalli Chowrasta and a native of Warangal, was fatally injured on Wednesday evening. While riding his scooter to inspect his house construction in Keesara, a lorry hit him from behind, throwing him onto the road.
According to Keesara CI Venkatayya, the lorry driver, in an attempt to flee, reversed the vehicle, crushing Elender’s legs. Severely injured and bleeding, Elender begged the crowd that had gathered for immediate help. Shockingly, the onlookers opted to film the scene and call for an ambulance rather than rush him to the hospital in their own conveyance.
After a considerable delay, an ambulance arrived and took Elender to a hospital at the ECIL intersection, where he was declared dead upon arrival. Elender is survived by his wife and two young children.
The lorry driver, identified as Lakshman, is being questioned, and police have registered a case against him.
According to social scientist Arunima Das, people are growing insensitive by the day. "It is only a means to achieve validation. I would not blame people who shoot, I would also pass the buck to those watching, liking and sharing such videos. I believe, with every shoot and share, humanity dies a silent death. It is time, we valued basic instincts of showing compassion instead of being a "social" (sic) animal," she rued.
