By IANS,
New Delhi : No mikes, no slogan shouting. Yet, when the 200-odd people – men, women and children – marched silently at Connaught Place in the heart of the capital Saturday evening to protest drunken driving, the message was sent across, loud and clear.
Rajkumari was one of the many marchers. She, like most others, had lost one of her loved ones because of somebody else’s fault.
“I lost my son this January when he came under the wheels of the car of a man who was drunk,” Rajkumari, holding a banner which said ‘Stop drunk driving before it takes our youth away’, told IANS.
“His name was Amar – the immortal – and was all of 20. Had it not been for the irresponsible act of that man, he would have been with me now,” she said, her eyes moist.
Like Rajkumari, Hamid Ali, wearing a tattered shirt and a plain pair of trousers, participated in the march.
“I lost my nephew last year when a drunk man mowed him down with his car. May no one suffer such a brutal death as he did. Unfortunately, that man is still at large… we are poor and can’t do a thing to get justice.
“All that we can do now is raise awareness against this dangerous trend. Drunk driving should be stopped,” Ali said.
Organised by the Citizens Against Drunk Driving (CADD), the march which culminated at Jantar Mantar, is part of an eight-city tour called the Strides for Change campaign to raise awareness against drunk driving and demand that a national commission against drunk driving be formed.
Prince Singhal, activist and the brain behind the initiative, said they will take this drive to Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, and Goa where drunk driving is rampant.
“The activity would bring together people from all walks of life including celebrities, and the common man which would culminate with a signature campaign in support of the formation of the commission against drunken driving.
“It is important to involve the common man in this process as only stricter laws cannot make a difference because drunk driving is not just a law and order problem but also reflective of the behavioural pattern of society,” Singhal said.