Sia urges strict punishment for all four in Golf Course Road hit-and-run case

Gurugram hit-and-run victim Sia has sought strict punishment for all four occupants of the car that hit her motorbike on Golf Course Road, saying arrest alone would not be enough to send a strong message on women's safety

New Delhi: Gurugram’s Golf Course Road hit-and-run victim Sia on Wednesday appealed for strict punishment for all four occupants of the car that hit her motorbike, saying it was necessary to convey the right message to society regarding women’s safety.

Speaking to IANS, Sia said she had high expectations from the court and hoped to get justice.

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“I have great expectations from the court that I will get justice. It is absolutely essential. If we don’t ensure these people are punished, it will send a very wrong message to society,” she said.

“I stated in court yesterday that all four who were in the car should be arrested and strict action should be taken against all of them. In my opinion, they should face harsh consequences; that is the only way to send a message to such young men so that anyone thinking of committing such an act would think twice,” she added.

Responding to the accused’s claim that he was hurrying to use the restroom, Sia said: “That is a despicable statement. I have no idea what kind of mentality they — and their lawyer — have. How can these people make false statements when the entire incident was recorded on video?”

She further said that if the accused really needed to use the washroom urgently, he could have gone straight from the first lane.

“Instead, they came into the third lane at such high speed, hit me and fled. It wasn’t as if it was 3 pm and there was traffic; it was 7 am on Golf Course Road — the three-lane road was completely empty. People could have made their way out from anywhere,” she said.

“No matter how hard they try, they won’t escape; and right now, a lot of people are supporting me. The entire country is watching this case to see how the department handles it. I don’t think they would send out the wrong message after an incident like this,” she added.

Sia also said that had the dashcam on her bike not recorded the incident, she “probably wouldn’t have even been able to justify what happened”.

“So many women who might be heading to work have to face this kind of harassment. They don’t have cameras, and often, cases like this don’t even get registered,” she said.

She reiterated that all four occupants should be punished so that an example could be set for society.

Her brother, Deepankar Chauhan, echoed the view, saying the accused should not be released within a week and that an example should be set for society.

Meanwhile, accused driver Kalyan Bainsla has been sent to two days of police custody, his lawyers told reporters. The next hearing is scheduled for September 18.

Along with Bainsla, his friend Lavnish, who is also an accused in the case, has also been sent to police custody. Both were arrested by Gurugram Police a day earlier.

Earlier, Sia’s father, Roshan Chauhan, had appealed for the accused to be remanded in judicial custody.

“We appeal to the police to take the remaining two people who were in the car into custody as well. When four people are sitting in a car and one person is engaging in such an act, the others should have stopped him. They did not stop him, which allowed him to engage in such an act and flee,” he told IANS, urging strict punishment for all four.