A couple with a seven-month-old baby who were subjected to assault in a road rage incident at Kallumal in Kozhikode are still in a state of shock.

Nidhin Lal (28), a native of Puliyavu, his wife Aathira, their daughter Nithara, Aathira’s mother, and her siblings were returning home after attending a wedding on Sunday. The family were travelling in a Toyota Etios when the vehicle reportedly brushed against a black Thar Jeep with a temporary number plate, coming from the opposite direction.

''As my baby was crying, we left the wedding venue a bit early. While driving through Jathiyeri, our car brushed against a Thar Jeep. I got out to check the damage, but suddenly, a group of locals—around 20 people—began beating and abusing me. When my wife stepped out of the car, they attacked her as well,'' Nidhin recalled.

The family’s car was damaged in the attack. ''People are talking about the financial loss I’ve suffered, but for me, the trauma caused to my wife and child is far worse. We plan to file a complaint with the Women’s Commission too,'' Nidhin said.

 An electrician by profession, he said the group blocked their car and became aggressive when he questioned them for rash driving. One of the men punched him and attempted to strike his head with a wheel spanner. The assailants shouted death threats and smashed the front windshield of the vehicle. Shards of broken glass injured the baby’s eye. She is currently under medication.

The group then pulled Aathira, a school teacher, out of the car, slapped her, tugged at her saree, and verbally abused her. ''There was a boy recording the assault on his mobile phone. When the locals noticed him, they beat him as well and forced him to delete the video,'' Nidhin added.

Police have registered a case against 10 unidentified men under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Valayam Police have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with the incident. The arrested person has been identified as Adil R K, a native of Jathiyeri. The shock over this incident has merely subsided when a 21-year-old youth was attacked over a minor car accident at Eranjikkal in Kozhikode on Wednesday. Nithin sustained injuries to his neck and face and has been admitted to Kozhikode beach hospital. Kerala's growing spate of road rage episodes has become a major concern.

In March, a tourist from Goa sustained severe injuries after being hit by a car. The driver of the car was chasing a two-wheeler rider and he was provoked because the rider did not give him way at the traffic signal. Recently Kasaragod police arrested a school bus driver for the murder of an auto-driver named Mohammed Shareef.

The probe revealed that the accused had clashed with Shareef at a traffic junction over the right-of-way. He bore a grudge and stabbed Shareef in the back of the neck and dumped the body in a well. The Transport Department had initiated a study in 2024 on the rising number of road rage incidents in Kerala.

Experts said that the sense of dangerous impatience which drives such incidents is visible in daily behaviour: jerky reactions, aggression, and a general lack of self-control.

"Empathy and human connectivity are slowly eroding. The digital revolution has also made behaviour more impulsive and impatient. Devices and social media, especially multi-level games, are impacting mental health deeply. The constant speed, competitiveness, and pressure to win can even trigger many.

"Substance abuse, particularly synthetic drugs, is the last nail in the coffin. Add to this the glorification of violence by mainstream media, films, and social media platforms, which bombard viewers and lead to desensitisation. Violence has, unfortunately, become normalised in society," said Dr Arun B Nair, a Trivandrum-based psychiatrist.