GURGAON: An autorickshaw that braked abruptly triggered a multi-vehicle pileup on the Rajiv Chowk flyover in Gurgaon on Saturday evening and spiralled into road rage in which a woman was sexually harassed and intimidated by men in an SUV who also smashed her car’s windshield.The incident occurred at 8.10pm and two of the accused have been arrested, police said.The woman, in her 40s, was driving her Skoda home when the auto ahead of her braked suddenly. She had enough room to stop in time and avert a collision. The drivers of a white Grand Vitara behind her and an Ertiga behind the Vitara also managed to brake in time.A black MG Hector was allegedly speeding at over 100kmph, according to eyewitness Ram, who spoke to TOI, failed to stop and crashed into the Ertiga, setting off the pileup that damaged multiple vehicles.Why the auto stopped abruptly was not established.“The airbags of the Hector deployed and one of the occupants even suffered a broken jaw,” Ram said.
Accused were ‘intoxicated’
Before the woman could assess the damage, the Hector drove ahead and blocked her car and five men stepped out. They appeared heavily intoxicated, were aggressive, and surrounded her, hurling abuses and making obscene gestures, she said in her complaint.They filmed her while falsely accusing her of causing the collision and threatened to upload the footage on social media. She tried to de-escalate, insisting that any conversation happen only in the presence of police.However, the situation worsened. One of the accused, dressed in black, smashed her windshield, pushed her, and attempted to touch her inappropriately. Another threatened to throw her in front of moving traffic.Passersby attempted to intervene but failed to calm the men. Both the woman and Ram alleged that repeated calls to the police control room did not connect for at least five minutes.“I dialed the control room but the calls were not going through. Even the woman’s calls were not connecting. I feared the situation would turn more violent,” Ram said. She eventually reached the helpline around 8.15pm, after which police arrived.An FIR was filed at Sadar police station under BNS sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 281 (rash driving), 324(4) (mischief), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 74 (assault against awoman with the intent to outrage), 75(2) (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture, act, or intrusion intended to insult the modesty of a woman).The woman gave photos of the men and vehicle details. She also recorded her statement in court.Two men, Kamal Verma (22), of Sonipat, and Sujal Verma (29) of Bakhtawarpur in Delhi, were arrested.
