Yesterday night, Santosh and I boarded the train at Lower Parel. Just as we got in we heard two people arguing. One of them was standing at the door, he looked red eyed, much like a rowdy muslim boy from the street, who’s ready to loose a tooth to show who’s boss. The other guy, who had also just got in the train with us, was a gujju guy, 20 something.
I don’t understand why, but the latter wanted to hang by the door as the former started to abuse the fuck out of him. And then the gujju guy got slapped. Again. And again.
What I fail to understand is that why the fuck didn’t anyone intervene. Nobody said a word. Nobody came to his rescue. People just looked and stared. Some enjoyed. Some laughed. Some were left baffled.
I would have done the same (and I shamefully admit it), had it not been for santosh who looked at me and stood up. I looked back at him and stood up too. Santosh went up to guy who was belting the slaps and told him ‘Bas kar na bhai …bahut ho gaya’…. And I too echoed the claim. We both managed to stop the assault, while the others just watched.
I particularly felt bad for the guy who was being slapped, his face was red…thankfully he wasn’t bleeding. The musilm goonda looked stoned. And to add to it …he wanted to fight. He was already bruised from an earlier fight. And I guess it was his earlier failure that got him to vent it out on this young gujju chap.
What would you have done, if you were a witness to such a crime in broad daylight?
Would you go rescue the guy?
Would you say something?
Would you prove the old saying right: ‘United we stand’?
My Ass!
