Businessman Gautam Baruah and his wife walked on a red carpet laid directly in the middle of the road. The surrounding area was adorned with balloons and party accessories. Behind them, a white Land Rover Defender and several other cars occupied the lane.
After cutting the cake, the couple and their friends took numerous photos and videos to commemorate the occasion. The party took place around 0:30 on 22/6 on the Kumar Bhaskar Varma flyover in Guwahati, Assam.
A video of the incident, shared on social media, quickly went viral and drew fierce public criticism.
Many expressed anger, writing: "Fine them 10 million rupees (106,000 USD); maybe then they will learn. It is thoughtless to turn public property into a private display of affection". Others sarcastically suggested: "They should sell that Defender and rent a banquet hall instead". Another commenter stated: "This person needs to be heavily fined or imprisoned".
The incident caused significant traffic congestion and severely impacted commuters. Police subsequently initiated legal proceedings. In total, 14 people, including the businessman and his wife, were detained, and four vehicles present at the party – a Defender, a Mercedes, a Mahindra Scorpio, and a Honda City – were seized.
The incident once again sparked debate about the misuse of public spaces for personal purposes in India, a common issue in the country.
Previously, in 7/2025, Vedansh Sharma, the son of a politician in Chhattisgarh, also blocked a major national highway to film a video for social media with his newly purchased SUV. Sharma parked a line of SUVs in the middle of the road, completely blocking the stretch and paralyzing traffic. Sharma later had to remove the video.
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Nhung chiec SUV dan ngang chan duong quoc lo de ghi hinh. Anh: Cartoq |
The incident was so severe that the state court criticized Bilaspur police for their lenient handling of the case. Initially, the suspects were only fined, and their vehicles were not seized. The court questioned this decision and demanded an explanation from the state government for not applying stricter penalties.
Following pressure from the court, police stated they had sent a request to the regional transport office to confiscate the drivers' licenses. Ultimately, six SUVs involved in the incident were impounded, and an official charge sheet was filed to prosecute those involved.
By My Anh (according to Cartoq)
