The death of a 24-year-old food delivery agent in Bengaluru has once again thrown a harsh spotlight on the growing menace of road rage in India.

What began as a minor scrape between two vehicles on October 25 spiralled into a deliberate act of murder, revealing how easily fury now erupts on the nation’s congested roads.

Darshan, a delivery worker, was riding his scooter with a friend when his vehicle accidentally brushed the rear-view mirror of a car driven by 32-year-old Manoj Kumar, a martial arts trainer from Kerala, and his wife, Aarati Sharma, from Jammu & Kashmir.

Though Darshan immediately apologised and drove away, Kumar reportedly turned his car around and chased the scooter for nearly two kilometres.

According to police, Kumar rammed the two-wheeler from behind, throwing both riders to the ground. Darshan died instantly, while his friend Varun suffered serious injuries. CCTV footage later showed the couple returning to the scene wearing masks to collect broken car parts and destroy evidence. They were arrested soon after and charged with murder under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.

Over the past three months, India has witnessed a spate of violent road rage incidents — many ending in death. From Delhi and Kolkata to smaller cities such as Nagpur, Ujjain and Latur, minor collisions and verbal altercations have escalated into assaults.

In Nagpur, Maharashtra, on October 26, 48-year-old Rajesh Orekar was stabbed to death after his car struck a parked e-rickshaw. A group of men surrounded Orekar and his friend, attacking them with knives after a brief argument. He died before reaching hospital, and police have since arrested three accused, including a minor.

Delhi too has seen multiple cases of road rage. On October 16, a 66-year-old businessman, Parveen Gulati, was beaten unconscious at a Karol Bagh traffic signal after his car brushed another.

Despite warning his assailant of his heart condition, Gulati was struck in the chest and left critically injured.

On October 4, a 24-year-old deaf and mute club manager, Karan Arora, killed a scooterist, Kapil, during an altercation in Palam Village. Arora, 65 per cent disabled since birth, was arrested within hours with the help of a sign-language interpreter.

In Hyderabad, two bikers were attacked with a plastic cricket bat by the occupants of an SUV near Bandlaguda on August 24, leaving one with a deep forehead wound. Police later arrested AIMIM ward member Mohammad Zakki and others in connection with the case.

In Kolkata, on October 25, customs officer Pradeep Kumar and his wife were assaulted inside their Sonarpur apartment by a mob of nearly 50 people. Earlier, their SUV had grazed an auto-rickshaw during a Kali Puja procession. The couple were beaten in front of their four-year-old daughter while police reportedly arrived late due to festival duties. Four people were arrested but later released on bail.

In Punjab, on October 27, singer Prince Randhawa and his brother were booked for firing shots during a road rage brawl outside Mohali’s Bestech Mall after their car collided with a BMW.

Weeks earlier, a 63-year-old man, Paramjit Singh, was killed and three relatives injured in Mohali’s Sohana village when men dressed as Nihangs attacked them with swords following a minor collision.

In October, a labourer in Jaipur was run over amid a roadside fight; a man in Latur was stabbed after a quarrel over a scrape between vehicles; in Kozhikode, a family travelling with a seven-month-old infant was dragged from their car and beaten by a mob after brushing against an SUV, leaving the baby injured by shattered glass.

In Haryana’s Faridabad, a dairy shop owner was stabbed to death during a scuffle on October 3. In Gujarat, on October 29, a drunk government schoolteacher dragged a motorcyclist on his car bonnet for 750 metres.

In Uttar Pradesh, a pickup driver was beaten to death near a police post in Saharanpur after refusing to give way. Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain saw another fatal stabbing on October 21 after a petty argument near Teliwada Chowk.

From knives and cricket bats to cars themselves used as weapons, India’s roads have become charged with aggression. The victims span all backgrounds — delivery riders, businessmen, labourers, even entire families.

In 2023, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded more than 4,000 cases of road rage-related violence in 2023.

While police in many cases have moved swiftly, delays in investigation and the easy grant of bail have fuelled public anger.