On Wednesday, Bengaluru Police arrested 18-year-old Keertan Richie for the death of his friend while he was performing a wheelie.
Shiny Kiran K was killed after she fell off the bike that Keertan was riding on Old Madras Road on September 1. Shiny fell off when Keertan pulled a wheelie stunt near Gopalan Mall. The II PU student came under the wheels of a mini-truck and lay on the road bleeding while her friends fled the spot.
Keertan went missing following the incident, and was only found on Wednesday. But soon after the incident, police arrested a man named Chandrashekar who was not even present. He has been booked for abetment of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Keertan has been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Chandrashekar’s connection with the whole incident? His 16-year-old son was with Keertan and had allowed him to ride the bike. Chandrashekar was booked for the actions of the minor who used his vehicle.
Such cases are quite common, a senior traffic police officer told The News Minute on condition of anonymity. “In small accidents, many times the accused are minors. Parents let the children take the bike if bus services to school or college are unsatisfactory. These children often perform stunts and ride rashly to just show off,” he said.
Colleges could hardly keep track of such minor students who rode two-wheelers without a valid licence as they parked not on the college premises, but outside. It generally school or PU college students who like to perform stunts, the officer said.
“However, it is not only about children in college. Some parents let their children ride in the neighbourhood to go to places close by. They think traffic is less and it is less dangerous. This itself is a violation,” he said.
Bengaluru Traffic Police ACP, Kasim Raja said that in just seven months this year, the police have booked 1,025 cases under Section 180 of Indian Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. Most adults booked in this manner are relatives of the main accused minors. A total fine of Rs 5,12,000 was collected under cases booked under Section 181 of Indian Motor Vehicles Act 1988.
In 2015, a total of 1,875 cases were booked against minors in Bengaluru. In all these cases, the vehicle owners – often parents – were also booked under IMV Act, Kasim said.