123456 Kolkata: Guard rail barricades placed on Strand Road triggered a violent road rage incident in the early hours of Saturday. A 33-year-old chartered accountant from Jaipur, visiting relatives and friends in Kolkata, slowed down his car to avoid a collision, leading two bikers riding behind him to ram into the car.The CA, Harsh Bidawatka, said there was not much damage to the car, and he was trying to drive away, but the bikers got enraged and punched, kicked, and bit him before bystanders called the police, and the two bikers were arrested. The incident occurred around 12.05 am on Saturday at the crossing of Strand Road and Nawab Lane when Bidawatka was driving from a friend's place in Howrah to his uncle's home in Lake Town."While I was about to take a left turn, there were guard rails placed on the road, and I was forced to slow down. There were two men on a bike speeding behind me who, however, braked on time and gently dashed my car from behind. It was a minor collision, and neither my car nor the bike suffered much damage, and I was about to let it go, but the bikers were in no mood. The rider snatched my car keys and phone, and when I asked for them back, he began assaulting me," said Bidawatka, who came to Kolkata last week.He said the men even hit him with iron knuckles and pricked the car key on his hand and neck. When he tried to fight back, one of them bit him on his left forearm, leaving a deep bite mark. "I tried to shout for help, but the men continued to hit me. One of them claimed his father was an influential man in Howrah and that none could touch him. He seemed to be under the influence of some substance and was in no mood to listen. I was being manhandled when another biker stopped at the scene and tried to save me. He recorded a short video of the assault and called the police," he said.Officers of Posta police station soon reached the spot, rescued Bidawatka, and arrested the two men. "I suffered severe injuries on my head, and blood was oozing out. I also suffered injuries on my arms, neck, chest, and spine. Police took me to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where doctors dressed my wounds before I went to the police station and filed a formal complaint," the man said.The two youths were identified as Raunak Sharma and Nitish Yadav. Police booked them under BNS sections 118 (1) (causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons), 352 (intentional insult), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 281 (rash driving), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), and 54 (common intention). They were produced before a city court and were remanded to judicial custody.Incidentally, TOI has repeatedly highlighted how driving at night on many city roads has become a nightmare for motorists, largely due to the haphazard placement of guard rails. These barricades often lack reflective tape or blinking red lights to alert drivers, making them difficult to spot in the dark.Earlier, traffic police would place a single guard rail in the middle of the road, leaving just enough space for vehicles to pass on either side. Recently, however, they have started placing multiple guard rails side by side, narrowing the passage to a single lane. With no standard operating procedure guiding the placement of these barricades, individual traffic personnel—and in many cases, civic volunteers—position them as they see fit, leading to further confusion and danger on the roads. Kolkata: Guard rail barricades placed on Strand Road triggered a violent road rage incident in the early hours of Saturday. A 33-year-old chartered accountant from Jaipur, visiting relatives and friends in Kolkata, slowed down his car to avoid a collision, leading two bikers riding behind him to ram into the car.The CA, Harsh Bidawatka, said there was not much damage to the car, and he was trying to drive away, but the bikers got enraged and punched, kicked, and bit him before bystanders called the police, and the two bikers were arrested. The incident occurred around 12.05 am on Saturday at the crossing of Strand Road and Nawab Lane when Bidawatka was driving from a friend's place in Howrah to his uncle's home in Lake Town."While I was about to take a left turn, there were guard rails placed on the road, and I was forced to slow down. There were two men on a bike speeding behind me who, however, braked on time and gently dashed my car from behind. It was a minor collision, and neither my car nor the bike suffered much damage, and I was about to let it go, but the bikers were in no mood. The rider snatched my car keys and phone, and when I asked for them back, he began assaulting me," said Bidawatka, who came to Kolkata last week.He said the men even hit him with iron knuckles and pricked the car key on his hand and neck. When he tried to fight back, one of them bit him on his left forearm, leaving a deep bite mark. "I tried to shout for help, but the men continued to hit me. One of them claimed his father was an influential man in Howrah and that none could touch him. He seemed to be under the influence of some substance and was in no mood to listen. I was being manhandled when another biker stopped at the scene and tried to save me. He recorded a short video of the assault and called the police," he said.Officers of Posta police station soon reached the spot, rescued Bidawatka, and arrested the two men. "I suffered severe injuries on my head, and blood was oozing out. I also suffered injuries on my arms, neck, chest, and spine. Police took me to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, where doctors dressed my wounds before I went to the police station and filed a formal complaint," the man said.The two youths were identified as Raunak Sharma and Nitish Yadav. Police booked them under BNS sections 118 (1) (causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons), 352 (intentional insult), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 281 (rash driving), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), and 54 (common intention). They were produced before a city court and were remanded to judicial custody.Incidentally, TOI has repeatedly highlighted how driving at night on many city roads has become a nightmare for motorists, largely due to the haphazard placement of guard rails. These barricades often lack reflective tape or blinking red lights to alert drivers, making them difficult to spot in the dark.Earlier, traffic police would place a single guard rail in the middle of the road, leaving just enough space for vehicles to pass on either side. Recently, however, they have started placing multiple guard rails side by side, narrowing the passage to a single lane. With no standard operating procedure guiding the placement of these barricades, individual traffic personnel—and in many cases, civic volunteers—position them as they see fit, leading to further confusion and danger on the roads.