Tejas Navale

Pune: Pune's growing traffic problems have once again highlighted the pressing need for better infrastructure and law enforcement. Congested roads, inadequate infrastructure, a lack of police personnel, and faulty traffic signals are causing daily challenges for citizens and have now led to a shocking incident of road rage.

On June 24, at approximately 3 p.m., a tempo driver assaulted a married couple, which included a pregnant woman, at Sant Dnyaneshwar Paduka Chowk on Namdar Gopal Krishna Gokhale (Fergusson College Road). The altercation began when the signal turned red and a four-wheeler car failed to make way for the tempo driver. In a fit of rage, the tempo driver verbally abused the couple and physically assaulted them.

The plaintiff, a 32-year-old man from Moshi, filed a police complaint at Shivajinagar police station following the incident. According to the complaint, the plaintiff and his pregnant wife were travelling from Deccan to the Agriculture College in their four-wheeler. As they stopped at Sant Dnyaneshwar Paduka Chowk for a red signal, the tempo driver attempted to cross but was blocked by the plaintiff's car.

Frustrated by the blocked path, the tempo driver, identified as Onkar Balasaheb Kandhare (28), a resident of Shukrawar Peth, got out of his tempo and lashed out at the couple. He abused the plaintiff and his pregnant wife before physically assaulting them. In the scuffle, the plaintiff sustained a nose injury.

Following the incident, the plaintiff promptly lodged a complaint against Kandhare, who has been booked under charges of assault. The police are further investigating the case.