The crime graph involving cases of road rage has been shooting north over the last few years. Experts point fingers at the stress that accompanies an urban lifestyle for making people blow up their tops even over trivial issues. takes a look at what makes us fly into rage so easily

We’re ticking time bombs

The crime graph involving cases of road rage has been shooting north over the last few years. Experts point fingers at the stress that accompanies an urban lifestyle for making people blow up their tops even over trivial issues. takes a look at what makes us fly into rage so easily

l A woman suffered a miscarriage at Kurla on August 10 after being beaten up by a biker, his mother, sister and friend during a heated argument after the vehicle brushed past her. l Ganesh Karanje, Dinesh Ahire, Chetan Dhule and Bharat Kundle, were bludgeoned to death on June 5 by Uday Pathak and his 16 accomplices after they thought that the four had stared at them the previous night. l Nana Jagtap killed his bedridden mother to death on October 31 last year after she refused to eat food and peed in her bed. l Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandes were murdered at Amboli on October 20 last year when they tried to protect a female friend who was being sexually harassed by Jitendra Rana and his three accomplices. More and more residents of metropolitan cities, including Mumbai, are not only on a short fuse now, they also don’t seem to bat an eyelid before venting their anger out on those around them. Experts say incidents of road rage, assaults and murders begin as petty fights, but they take an ugly turn because of low resistance and intolerance to even non-issues. The trigger, explain sociologists, psychiatrists and the police, is rising frustration among urban citizens. “Most of the people we see around us are frustrated because of some reason or the other. Some are frustrated due to professional reasons and others due to personal issues. Recurring traffic jams in the city frustrate motorists. Recent cases of road rage were unheard of three years ago,” says assistant commissioner of police Jaywant Hargude. He explains that people now take so much time to get from one part of the city to another that by the time they reach their destination, they are hopping mad. While some can keep their anger in check, others are not that lucky. They take it out on the first person they come across. Many people are like walking time bombs — anger bottled up over a period of time will someday make them explode at even the smallest discomfort. The rat race will get to you Blaming urban lifestyles and the rat race in metropolises for the trend, experts fear that the situation will only take a turn for the worse. “Such crimes [stemming from rage] are committed at the spur of the moment. Anxieties, lifestyles, frustration and many such factors are to be blamed,” says deputy commissioner of police Nisar Tamboli. Explaining that most such acts of crime are not pre-planned, Tamboli says assaulters regret flying off the handle. “Every person who has been arrested in such cases has regretted doing what he/she did in a fit of rage. Assaulters regret their actions and many of them wish that if only they had controlled themselves for just a few seconds, the moment of frenzy would have passed.” Dr Harish Shetty, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist, says people in metropolitan cities are emotionally sensitive. He explains that the rituals of day-to-day living consumes so much of their time that they can hardly make time out for themselves, which, in turn, makes them lose their power of reasoning. The smallest trigger, therefore, gets them charged up. A Mumbai-based sociologist says the pace of life in urban centres and its demands make people egocentric and selfish. Such incidents is a matter of concern for the police as they are unpredictable and it causes a lot of trauma to the immediate family of the victim who has fallen prey to this spur of the moment crime over petty issue. The police say that such incidents have more to do with the ego issue of the person than the criminal instinct. Talk it out Dr Shetty says cities like Mumbai are worse off because of limited interactions among people. “Conversing with others is the best way to keep the animal inside you in check. Interactions help give vent to emotions and, thereby, relax.” Immediate family members, relatives and neighbours play a crucial role in curbing such instincts of rage in people. “We have become so busy that we do not even get time to interact with our parents or children. Since I’m associated with the police department, I hardly get time to spend with my children, but I make sure I talk to them at least once a week to find out how their studies going and whether they are facing any problem. I try to solve their problems so that they can discuss their issues with me the next time they are in trouble. All parents should follow this method, as this will encourage their child to discuss his/her problems instead of getting frustrated,” suggests Dr Shetty. The psychiatrist says trains are the best place to get acquainted with people. The rise in the number of crimes stemming from rage has made the police take up the role of the reconciler. They have set up mohalla committees in neighbourhoods, which help people come together, exchange their views and sort out their differences.