Delhi hit-and-run: Silent protest held

After 32-year-old Siddharth Sharma was run over by a Mercedes that was driven by the 17-year-old son of a businessman in Delhi, his school friends held a silent protest in Navi Mumbai on Sunday morning, demanding justice for the fallen youth. They also tried to spread the message of making sure children are not allowed to drive cars.

The incident occurred a week ago when Sharma, a marketing executive who had worked with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, had gone to visit his sister in Civil Lines in North Delhi. Sharma had been living in Airoli with his family since childhood and he attended Shri Ram High School.

Sharma’s schoolmates decided to seek justice for their friend immediately after hearing about the shocking incident. “The juvenile was out of jail in less than 10 hours. The protest was held to ensure that he is arrested. He should be punished so that he understands the consequences of negligence. The accused was just a week away from turning 18. It was his birthday two days ago, so he’s mature enough to receive punishment for his wrongful act,” said a protester.

Speaking about their protest, Sharma’s classmate Swati Khadtare, who lives in Navi Mumbai said, “Siddharth completed his education with us in Airoli. We were very shocked when we heard the news. As his sister is protesting in Delhi for justice, we too decided to hold a protest and our juniors and some seniors also joined in.”

“We also created awareness via posters that juveniles do not have the right to drive vehicles and kill or injure anyone. We urge to all parents not to hand over their vehicles to their children,” Ms Khadtare added.