: In yet another incident of public apathy in the Capital, a police constable bled to death even as around 200 people looked on.
The victim, 49-year-old Anand Singh, was shot at by goons while chasing them in Outer Delhi’s Bawana on Friday night. Eyewitnesses confided in The Hindu that they “did not even touch” the dying policeman as they were “afraid of the legal troubles that would follow”. Cars that passed by also did not choose to intervene.
Go unheard
Subsequently, Singh lay bleeding and crying out for help for at least 20 minutes. When the police arrived, he had already died.
Police sources, however, said the bullet had punctured Anand’s heart and he would have stood a low chance at survival.
“But the reaction of people is predictable. No one helps anyone in this city,” said a police officer.
As soon as the constable was shot, the first reaction of around half-a-dozen stall owners nearby was to pack their belongings and keep them away, said eyewitnesses. Most of their customers ran helter-skelter before returning to the spot to take a look at the injured man.
Mute spectator
“I ran to the spot, but I did not touch him. Nobody else touched him, too,” said Ramcharan, a local dhaba owner. “But when the police arrived, we helped them load the constable in their vehicle,” he added.
Despite being shot in his chest, Anand had chased the assailants for a good 30 metres before finally falling face-down.
“We waited for the police to arrive as that is the safest thing to do in such situations,” said Shankar, another eyewitness.
Eyewitnesses claimed that until the police arrived, they did not even know that the dying person was a policeman. “He was wearing a khakee pant and a civilian shirt. It was only when the policemen turned him, that everyone realised he, too, was from the police,” said Ramcharan.
No remorse
People at the murder site showed no regret for not rushing the dying man to hospital. “You care so much because he was a policeman. You would not bother if I was dying in his place,” countered a man at the spot.
Police officers, however, defended the local workers, who constituted most of the bystanders, saying they were too poor to own a vehicle of their own.
“The man who called the police to inform about the incident did not even own a mobile phone of his own and had borrowed someone else’s phone to call 100. So, you must understand their limitations,” said a police officer.
