Accidents and apathy

"Who killed Pinaz Master?” read the front page headlines of the Afternoon Despatch and Courier of December 1, 2003. "Car rams woman, revs up, runs her over” was the title of the lead story in the MumbaiNewsline of The Indian Express of the same day.

The tragic death of 27-year-old Pinaz Xerxes Master on the evening of November 28, 2003 was a bereavement experienced by many families who read the news reports, even though they may have never met or heard of the lady. After parking their car outside Wodehouse Gymkhana she and her husband were walking towards the Cooperage Grounds when a golden colored Indica slammed her from behind, throwing her onto the car bonnet. Instead of slowing down, the driver accelerated and as she rolled off the bonnet onto the ground, the car reportedly ran over her. Xerxes rushed her to Bombay Hospital where she was pronounced dead within half an hour. The cause of her death as per the post mortem report was "shock due to injury.”

Mourning the loss of an innocent life snuffed out before she could celebrate her 28th birthday the next day which coincidentally also happened to be Xerxes’ birthday, the public was simultaneously outraged with the callousness of the driver and the apathy of the onlookers.

Master: gentle and caring

"It takes split second reflexes to act at a time like this...Yet it is amazing in a situation like this, with policemen around, young Pinaz was killed by a motorist who then sped away...” wrote Afternoon’s managing editor Mark Manuel in the paper of December 1, further adding, "Nobody stopped him. Nobody even took down his number...I think if the police had sounded a wireless alert then, all roads within a 2.5 km radius of the scene could have been sealed. And perhaps the killer driver might have been caught...He should not be allowed to escape.” A month later though there was yet no news of any eye-witnesses coming forward or the police making any headway in the case.

Daughter of Mehroo and Homi Talati, Pinaz was known to be a gentle, caring individual. A talented seamstress, she spent the greater part of the day with her mother-in-law Arin, executing tailoring orders. Pinaz would design and cut the material after which Arin would complete the garment. Husband Xerxes and father-in-law Percy are the mainstay of Prudential Shipping Agencies Private Limited. To see Xerxes fulfil his ambitions was her constant prayer, notes a family source.

A letter from former inspector general of police V. W. Pradhan in the Afternoon of December 3 noted, "For the last several years the beleaguered residents of this area are crying hoarse about the dangerous traffic conditions and other harmful fallout of the hundreds of marriages per year celebrated on these grounds. This is not the first instance of a fatal accident on this road during such functions.”