Social worker Piyush Dhanani assaulted in Surat while stopping a vehicle on the wrong side

Surat: Social worker Piyush Dhanani who is known for his videos on social media platforms against wrong-side driving in parts of Surat was attacked today in the Kapodra area by several persons. Piyush Dhanani who originally hails from the Amreli district of Saurashtra has single handed started a self-style crusade against wrong-side driving which is very prevalent in Varachha, Katargam, Kapodra, etc areas where people of Saurashtra origin live in large numbers. Piyush reaches roads known for mass wrong-side driving to stop the vehicles coming from the wrong side and compel riders to turn in the right direction. Piyush is so maverick in his cause that he at times enters into arguments with riders who refuse to turn their vehicles from the wrong side to the right side. In his latest Facebook video, Piyush can be seen sleeping on the road to stop a private passenger bus that was coming on the wrong side. Piyush often calls the police control room (PCR) van if some vehicle rider on the wrong side doesn’t budge to his request. Piyush posts the videos of his campaign on social media which largely attract supportive comments but a few people also question his tactics. Scores of people have questioned Piyush’s language. Some have also pointed out that Piyush only works against wrong-side driving but never wears a helmet and never asks people to wear a helmet. Some people on social media allege that Piyush at times uses offending language against riders. Some question why Piyush only does activism against wrong-side vehicles and traffic-related issues only, why he doesn’t go against illegal liquor dens. Barring such few critical comments, Piyush Dhanani by and large receives all good and supportive comments. Many people opine on social media that what Piyush is doing on roads should be done by Policemen who are paid to enforce traffic rules. On Tuesday morning, Piyush stopped a two-wheeler rider who was going in the wrong side direction. As the rider refused, Piyush took the key of the vehicle. Several people gathered around and started beating up Piyush and asked him to give back the key to the rider. When Piyush gave the key back to the rider, the rider continued to drive on the wrong side. The issue reportedly reached Kapodra police station. Piyush Dhanani’s main activism remains against wrong-side driving, but he also makes videos against other social evils. In one video he criticizes locals for feeding fried ganthiya to birds. Another video exposes how fruit sellers occupy a major portion of the road at the cost of traffic movement to sell fruits outside of their roadside stalls. In one more video, he speaks about the danger of Nilgai on the highways of Saurashtra. DeshGujarat