New Delhi, Sept. 7 -- A high-profile cancer awareness drive in Mumbai has triggered intense public scrutiny after video footage showing a distressed commuter pleading with folded hands for passage through a traffic gridlock caused by the event went viral.

The rally, organised by the Queens' Drive Club, featured Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' wife, Amruta Fadnavis, as the chief guest to flag off an all-women luxury car convoy.

The controversy erupted just as the ceremonial flag-off was underway.

A visibly shaken woman broke through the media scrum and stepped in front of the flashing cameras. Clasping her hands in desperation, she broke down in tears while pleading with event coordinators and security personnel to ...