What began as a routine afternoon drive on Pune’s Sangamwadi–Shahdawal Dargah road spiralled into a chilling episode of road rage that left a cab driver
injured and stunned the city when videos surfaced days later. On January 17, around 3 pm, a woman driving from Yerawada to Shivajinagar rammed her car into a motorcycle on Sangamwadi Road. The impact threw the rider, his wife and their child onto the road. While they as per a report by Times of India, escaped with minor injuries, the incident set off a chain of events that could have ended far worse. According to police, Ram Rathod, a 34-year-old cab driver, was driving just behind the woman’s car at the time. When the woman allegedly tried to flee, she put her car in reverse gear and struck Rathod’s cab. “Around 3pm on Jan 17, the woman was driving from Yerawada to Shivajinagar when her vehicle hit a bike on Sangamwadi Road. The rider, his wife and child fell off the bike,” Laxminagar police station senior inspector Ravindra Kadam said as per TOI.
A Bonnet Attempt
What followed was a desperate attempt by Rathod to stop her.
“Rathod’s cab was behind the woman’s car. As she put her car in reverse gear, it hit Rathod’s cab. He chased the car, intercepted it and parked his cab alongside. As he stood in front of the woman’s car, she stepped on the accelerator and Rathod jumped on the bonnet to save himself from being hit,” he said.
Instead of stopping, the woman allegedly sped away with Rathod clinging to the bonnet, pleading for her to halt. Police said she drove for nearly two kilometres at a speed of 50 to 60 kmph, risking not only Rathod’s life but also that of other road users.
After a lot of shouting and signalling, people managed to get the woman to stop her car while Rathod fell from the bonnet and was taken to a hospital in Shivajinagar.
Rathod sustained a fracture in his hand. However, he did not approach the police immediately. The case came to light only on Monday, after videos of the incident were circulated widely on social media.
Police then traced Rathod, recorded his statement and tracked down the woman, a Baner resident who works with an NGO. She was arrested on Tuesday and charged with attempt to commit culpable homicide and rash and negligent driving. A city court later granted her bail.
