The crowd waiting for green light at a busy traffic junction in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district were in for a bizarre sight on Sunday, May 28, when a young man on a two-wheeler suddenly began to take a bath in the middle of the road, while his friend filmed him. The 21-year-old man, identified as Parthiban, was reportedly trying to win a bet of Rs 10 with his friend, and also generate some social media buzz — which he did, as the video soon went viral. But now he has also been booked and fined to the tune of Rs 3,500 by the police for violating traffic rules, reports say.
Parthiban reportedly has a huge Instagram following, with his account featuring videos of him preparing omelettes on the road, bathing in a well at night, eating uncooked fish, drinking a raw egg mixed in water, having biriyani at a busy traffic junction, and more. In the video that landed him in trouble, he can be seen pouring water on himself after halting his two-wheeler on the road, with a bucket kept on top of his vehicle. “As he won the challenge, I am paying him Rs 10,” his friend says in the video.
After the video came to police attention, the Erode Town Police reportedly summoned Parthiban to the station on Monday and imposed a fine of Rs 3,500 on him for riding without a helmet, engaging in dangerous stunts, and disturbing traffic movement.
ஈரோடு: இன்ஸ்டாகிராமில் லைக் பெறுவதற்காக போக்குவரத்து நிறைந்த சாலையில் குளித்த இளைஞருக்கு ₹3,500 அபராதம் விதித்தது போக்குவரத்து காவல்துறை#Erode | #Parthiban | #Instagram | #Bath | #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/BYLCD7R7VE
— PuthiyathalaimuraiTV (@PTTVOnlineNews) May 29, 2023
A similar incident had taken place in Thanjavur around two weeks ago, when a 15-second video of a man taking a bath while riding his scooter garnered social media attention. The police eventually tracked down the man, identified as Arunachalam, as well as his friend who shot the video, and slapped a fine amounting to Rs 2,000 on the duo.