Ahmedabad: A bout of road rage has landed Hitesh Rawal (45) in prison for five years after he reacted violently to a woman honking at him. A city sessions court has punished him with a jail term and imposed a Rs 42,000 fine for assaulting the woman over her honking.The incident occurred on Oct 4, 2023, when the woman was riding her two-wheeler with her sister as pillion towards her home in Naroda. She honked at Rawal, who was walking in the middle of the road. Enraged, Rawal turned around and hurled a water bottle at her. In an attempt to avoid the bottle, she lost balance and fell off her scooter.After the woman fell, Rawal allegedly assaulted and abused her. As the two were acquainted through neighbouring housing societies, he is also accused of hurling casteist slurs at her, as she belonged to a Scheduled Caste. The woman subsequently lodged a complaint with Sardarnagar police under IPC provisions and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.Rawal was prosecuted before a special atrocities court, where additional public prosecutor Bharat Patani examined 19 witnesses and presented 20 pieces of documentary evidence to establish Rawal’s guilt. Rawal maintained his innocence and alleged that the woman had framed him to settle an old score.Special judge BJ Ghasura found Rawal guilty of assaulting the woman and hurling caste-related abuses. While the prosecution sought exemplary punishment for the offence for a deterrent effect, Rawal pleaded for leniency, citing his poor financial condition and that he has been lodged in prison for the past three years.After hearing submissions on the quantum of punishment, the court said, “Prosecution’s submission appears justified that although IPC provisions have been amended from time to time, the incidence of such offences continues to increase significantly. Moreover, the govt’s contention that if the accused is not awarded an appropriate sentence and penalty for the offence committed, it may encourage him to commit similar offences in the future, also appears to be reasonable and justified.”The court also ordered Rs 20,000 in compensation for the victim in this case.
