NEW BANESHWAR CHOWK – It was a dusky, drizzly evening and I was returning home from my office. I had just passed the crossroads at New Baneshwar Chowk when I noticed a huge crowd blocking the road in front of Everest Nursing Home and chanting slogans, “Doshi lai karbahi gara. Pidit ko pariwar lai kchyatipurti deu. (Prosecute the culprit. Compensate the victim’s family.)†Curious as usual, I mixed into the crowd to learn more about the hullabaloo.
Mina Kumari, a live witness to the fatal incident, described fretfully, “I was strolling with my young daughter when I saw this old man, sheltered by his big black umbrella, crossing the road. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the umbrella and propelled it to the middle of the road. A speeding blue Mitsubishi Pajero ran over the poor umbrella and the vehicle screeched to a halt. While the bruised umbrella lay motionless on the road, the Pajero backed and crushed it three times with its rear wheels. Then the Pajero fled. The coward.â€
The teary old man who was squatting under a nearby lamp post was being consoled by a few men. A gentleman offered his raincoat but the old man pushed it away, “Mero barha barsa ko pyaro sathi ko badla maa yo naathe raincoat? Khisi nagarnus malaai! (This paltry raincoat in exchange for my dear friend of twelve years? Do not ridicule me!)â€
Inspector Bikash Malhotra said that the police is already on the culprit’s trail. Its tracks, heading to Baluwatar, have been identified at Bhatbhateni and search is on. An unidentified person who noted the runaway vehicle’s number plate is being interrogated but he has revealed only the first two numbers so far – he is demanding ten thousand rupees per rest of the numbers. The revealed numbers so far are 5 and 5. Dr Suman Sharma, after examining the road kill said, “I am sorry, there is no hope of recovery. Its ribs are broken, runner is displaced, springs have spilled out of the tube, crook handle is fractured and ferule is missing. There is not a single breath of life.â€
Later, the police took away the dead umbrella and the weeping old man in their van. As darkness fell, the crowd dispersed and I headed home, appalled by the grisly incident. No doubt, Kathmandu, once an abode of gods and goddesses, is turning into one of the most dangerous cities in the world. --- Kobalt Kainla
Last edited: 09-Oct-08 11:31 AM
