It is not only people taking dangerous selfies who are losing their lives, the obsession of the people to take photographs and video recording on their mobile phones is also taking lives on the roads. In Hubballi in Karnataka a young man was allowed to die by voyeuristic bystander intent only on shooting cell phone videos for social media posts while he begged for help. The accident victim reportedly bled to death. This is the third such incident in the state of Karnataka this year. Incidentally Karnataka happens to be the first state to introduce the ‘Good Samaritan and Medical Professionals Bill’ in November 2016 which was passed by both the houses of the state legislative assembly and now awaits the assent of the governor and the President. This Bill has been passed to encourage people to rush accident victims to the nearby hospital within the golden hour so that a life can be saved. It must be said that taking photos and video recording on the mobile of accident victims is a very inhumane and sadistic move and needs to be condemned in no uncertain terms. It may be necessary to introduce a total ban on uploading photos and videos of accident victims on the social media so that bystanders engage themselves in helping the accident victim and transporting him/her to the hospital in quick time.
ADELMO FERNANDES, VASCO
