In an incident that once again highlights public apathy, an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Telangana bled to death on the road in Khammam district after being run over by a truck, even as people clicked photos and videos on their mobile phones.
According to reports, ASI D Bhaskar was crossing the road near the Raghunathpalem Police Station where he was on duty, when a truck ran over him.
The policeman was reported to be alive and moving for at least 10 minutes, as people took photos and videos, until other policemen intervened and rushed him to the Khammam District Hospital in a police jeep.
He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
“He was due to retire in April. Today morning, he had gone on bandobast duty at a nearby village where a lucky draw was held for beneficiaries of 2 BHK housing by government. Bhaskar and the SI returned to police station in a jeep and he had got down near the police station and was walking across the road to collect his motorcycle when the truck hit him. The accident occurred at 11:30 am,"Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Naresh Reddy told reporters.
"He breathed his last due to excessive bleeding and damage to vital organs. We have not been able to identify the people who clicked the photos; it was highly irresponsible of them," the ACP added.
Bhaskar is survived by his wife, a son and four daughters, and his last rites are scheduled to be held on Saturday. The lorry driver has reportedly been arrested.
This comes after a similar incident where a 65-year-old woman was hit by three bike-borne men in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district last week.
Even as the woman lay on the road, with her bag and small bowl lying next to her, passersby slowed down their vehicles when they saw the woman, but no one came forward to help her.
It was only after a few minutes, that she got help, and was shifted to a hospital in Chirayankeezhu.