Stuntmaniacs take over the roads

A month ago, on a road connecting Delhi and Noida, a group of young boys  desperately wanted to capture the attention of the commuters. They changed gears and accelerated their bikes. Suddenly, their body posture was also changed- both the legs were on one side. Helmets were taken off and a broad smile on their faces was clearly visible.

Apparently, these boys landed people on the road in a state of confusion as they didn’t know what to look at- their brash attitude or their breath-taking stunts.

It seems Delhi police was also perplexed by the same attitude when they saw a gang of stunt bikers in the heart of the city, India Gate on Sunday night. Ironically, this led to a tense confrontation between the late-night bikers and policemen. It claimed the life of 19-year-old Karan Yadav- riding pillion behind his friend Puneet Sharma, when the accused policeman aimed his gun at the rear wheel to stop them but the bullet hit the back of Karan and caused his death.

At a time when it is difficult to pin point as to who is more responsible for this tragedy, Delhiites are condemning the attitude of the stunt-bikers. “We don’t call them bikers, they are hooligans,” says biker Bhavishya Devgan. “As a human being, I feel bad for the boy who lost his life. But he cannot be called a rider because he and his group did not keep the safety of people in their mind and created havoc. When you call yourself a biker, you have to respect traffic rules and regulations and people’s safety too,” he says. 

On the other hand, Simran, who is also a biker and has travelled all across the country on his bike, shares that he has stopped visiting India Gate after midnight. “It is very dangerous to drive alongside these packs. If you are on a bike that is easily distinguishable from others, policemen tend to consider you also as a part of that group. It really poses a problem for the ordinary bikers who don’t perform stunts,” says he.

“Leave alone traffic rules, there is a real danger that they could hararss women as well. When in a group, you work like a mob which has no brains but is only living on thrill. They could easily think that, being with ‘friends,’ they can easily escape after doing just anything.

However, biker Praveen Kumar is of the opinion that aiming guns at those bikers is not a solution. “I agree those kids were at fault to some extent but killing them is no way to handle the situation. Police should not have taken such action. Secondly, there are special places to perform stunts with complete protection. I don’t understand how somebody can prove himself a good rider by putting others’ lives at risk. What do they achieve?” questions Praveen.

Replying to his question, Dr Sameer Malhotra, Head of Department, Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Max Hospital, explains, “It is a sensation-seeking behaviour that makes some people adventurous by nature. They tend to experiment beyond their limits. In their bid to experiment and make a statement, they don’t hesitate in breaking social norms. Similar was the case with Karan, Puneet and their group.”

The psychiatrist also says, “Firing a bullet is not a solution but channelizing the
energy of the youth in a right direction is a better option,” says he.