Instagram, Twitter, Facebook abuzz with #Justice for Siddharth Sharma

Demanding justice for hit-and-run victim Siddharth Sharma, who was killed by a speeding Mercedes driven by a minor, netizens have formed a “Mercedes Hit & Run Community” on Facebook.

Members of the group, that garnered 4,514 likes till Thursday evening, have posted photographs of the victim and CCTV footage of the entire road accident in which a speeding Mercedes can be seen hitting the victim when he was crossing the road. Netizens have also rolled out hashtag #Justiceforsid on Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms to demand justice.

The CCTV footage shows the 33-year-old victim being flung at least 15 metres into the air after being knocked by the speeding Mercedes driven by a minor.

The nearly 1 minute 20 second clip of the Monday’s incident, shared with the media by the victim’s relatives, shows him trying to cross a clear road near a traffic intersection and later running towards the pavement as he sees the approaching car.

Shortly after that, Sharma can be seen standing still and then taking a step back when he is hit by the speeding car and flung at least 15 metres into the air, out of the frame of the video.

The errant driver turned out to be 17-year old son of a businessman living in a posh Civil Lines apartment. The Class 12 student was on a night out with six friends. The boy was apprehended on Tuesday and later released on bail as per legal provisions.

“He should be given no liberty for being a minor. Spoilt brats need to be dealt with strongly to send out a strong message to arrogant rich adults,” Saurabh Malhotra, commented on Facebook community demanding justice for Sharma.

Expressing disappointment with the deteriorating law and order situation, the grieved family members of Sharma demanded justice. “I have been somewhere convinced by the system that I have to fight for 10 to 15 years in order to get justice. I am unable to comprehend that why 10 years. You have the CCTV footage, we have all evidence... You catch hold of the parents, who sent a driver instead of their son and ridiculed the entire system. I am not able to understand why is no one cross questioning the people, who are guilty,” the victim’s sister, Shilpa Mittal, said.

“Photograph of that boy’s father should be shown, the society should shame him. In two days, the boy will turn into an adult you should make his photographs public. The culprit is leading his life normally where as our lives will never get back to normal,” she added.

Ms Mittal expressed her disappointment over the fact that it is so easy for someone with money to get bail and walk free.

“A challan is issued of Rs 1,000 and that’s it. We are standing there like fools thinking that we will get justice. The police is standing there, they say nothing is in there purview, all of them have been bribed. I have been told a lot of money has been spent already. There is no investigation happening, there is no progress,” she added.

The victim’s father, Hemraj Sharma, called for strict laws to ensure that such incidents do not take place.