A Mumbai man who objected to firecrackers being burst on a road divider was met with obscene gestures in response, in an incident that has gone viral and drawn a response from Mumbai Police. Hardik Dedhia was travelling on SV Road in Borivali East when he saw bikers and auto drivers setting off firecrackers on the divider, and he stopped to ask them to stop. The video of what followed has renewed the debate over bursting crackers on busy roads during Diwali.
Crackers on the divider, vehicles losing control
Dedhia said the crackers were being burst right on the divider of a busy road, where two wheelers and autos were passing. He said vehicles were losing control as the crackers went off close to moving traffic, creating a clear danger for riders and drivers. Diwali night already sees heavy firecracker use across Mumbai, and bursting them on a divider puts the blast and the sparks at the height of passing vehicles, with nowhere for riders to move away.
The objection and the response
When Dedhia objected, the people bursting the crackers responded with obscene gestures instead of stopping. The exchange was captured on video and shared online, where it spread quickly. The clip shows a familiar pattern in such confrontations: one resident raising a safety concern in public, and the response turning abusive rather than apologetic. The video has since become one of the most shared Diwali clips of the day.
The police car that drove past
Dedhia said a patrolling police car passed the spot while the crackers were still being burst. According to him, the officers told him, "Diwali hai, hoga hi, aap jao," meaning it is Diwali, this will happen, and he should move on. That detail has drawn as much attention as the gestures themselves, with users asking why the patrol did not stop the bursting on a busy road. The incident comes days after Mumbai banned rockets and aerial firecrackers until 25 November following 137 fires during Diwali.
Mumbai Police responds
Mumbai Police responded to the viral video online, saying it had informed Borivali police station about the incident. The reply suggests the local station will look into the matter, though no action had been reported at the time of publication. The episode has added to the wider argument over enforcement during the festival, with residents asking for the rules on bursting crackers in public places to be applied on the road, not only on paper.
