New Delhi, Sep 16 — Gurugram's Golf Course Road hit-and-run victim Sia on Wednesday appealed for strict punishment for all four occupants of the car which hit her motorbike, in order to convey right message to the society regarding women's safety.
Speaking to IANS, Sia said: "I have great expectations from the court that I will get justice. it is absolutely essential. If we don't ensure these people are punished, it will send a very wrong message to society."
"I stated in court yesterday that all four, who were in the car, should be arrested and that strict action taken against all of them. In my opinion, they should face harsh consequences; that is the only way to send a message to such young men—so that anyone thinking of committing such an act would think twice," she added.
Responding to the accused's claim that he was hurrying to use the restroom, she said: "That is a despicable statement. I have no idea what kind of mentality they—and their lawyer have. How can these people make false statements when the entire incident was recorded on video?"
She further said that if the accused really wanted to use the washroom urgently, he could have just gone straight from the first lane.
"Instead, they came into the third lane at such high speed, hit me and fled. It wasn't as if it was 3 pm and there was traffic; it was 7 am on Golf Course Road—the three-lane road was completely empty. People could have made their way out from anywhere," she stated.
"No matter how hard they try, they won't escape; and right now, a lot of people are supporting me. The entire country is watching this case to see how the department handles it. I don't think they would send out the wrong message after an incident like this," she added.
Moreover, the victim said that had the dashcam of her bike not recorded the incident, she "probably wouldn't have even been able to justify what happened".
"So many women, who might be heading to work, have to face this kind of harassment. They don't have cameras, and often, cases like this don't even get registered," Sia said.
She reiterated: "All four must be punished; only then can we set an example for our society."
Her brother Deepankar Chauhan echoed similar view, saying that the accused should not be released within a week and that an example should be set for the society.
Meanwhile, the accused driver, Kalyan Bainsla has been sent to two days of police custody, his lawyers told reporters. The next hearing is scheduled on September 18.
Along with Bainsla, his friend Lavnish, who is also an accused in the case, has also been sent to the police custody. Both of them were arrested by Gurugram Police a day before.
Earlier, Sia's father Roshan Chauhan had appealed for judicial custody of the accused.
"We appeal to the police to take the remaining two people (who were there in the car) into custody as well. When four people are sitting in a car and one person is engaging in such an act, the others should have stopped him. They did not stop him, which allowed him to engage in such an act and flee," he told IANS, urging for strict punishment for all four of them.