The good, bad & ugly of a Samaritan story

Barwani: A road accident in Barwani district has unexpectedly turned into a dispute over the govt’s Rs 25,000 ‘Rahveer (Good Samaritan) Yojna’ reward scheme, after two youths separately claimed they were responsible for saving an injured biker and taking him to the hospital late Wednesday. The conflicting claims led to a minor argument between the duo, and the matter is now in the court of the district administration officials.

The incident took place late Wednesday night in Mehgaon Deb village under Anjad police station limits, where a collision between a loading vehicle and a motorcycle left Sunil, a resident of Dawana village, critically injured. He suffered head and leg injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, a crowd gathered soon after the accident, but despite informing the police and ambulance services, help did not arrive for a long time. Eventually, the injured man was rushed to the hospital using a private vehicle.

Vikas Patel claimed that he spotted the injured biker lying on the road and immediately transported him to the district hospital in his own vehicle. Patel said he acted purely on humanitarian grounds and is, therefore, entitled to the benefit under the Rah-Veer Yojana.

However, another youth, Vikas Kushwaha of Semalda village, has presented a different version of events. Kushwaha claimed he purchased goods with the injured person at Barwani and was following him when the accident took place and he was the first person to reach the accident spot and had informed both the police and ambulance services. When the ambulance failed to arrive on time, he arranged a private vehicle and ensured the injured man was sent to the hospital. Kushwaha has also demanded that the reward amount be granted to him.

The conflicting claims led to a minor argument between the duo, and the matter has now become a topic of discussion across the area.

The Rahveer Yojana, launched to encourage timely assistance to road accident victims during the critical golden hour, offers a reward of up to Rs 25,000 to citizens who help transport injured persons to hospitals.

Barwani superintendent of police PV Shukla said that in cases of dispute under the Rahveer (Good Samaritan) Scheme, authorities examine several factors before deciding the recipient of the reward.

These include identifying who played the main role in shifting the injured person to the hospital within the golden hour, the crucial first hour after an accident. Officials also verify who actually transported the victim, who informed the police, and whose name was recorded during hospital admission, he said.

Statements from ambulance staff, police personnel, doctors and eyewitnesses are also considered, along with evidence such as CCTV footage, mobile videos, call records and hospital entries.

Shukla added if the role of more than one person in helping the victim is established, the Rs 25,000 reward amount can also be shared equally among them.
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