Chandigarh: Action sought against bikers riding sans helmets at BJYM’s tiranga rally
A member of the UT District Road Safety Committee said many riders were not wearing protective headgear and riding rashly during the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) tiranga rally organised in Chandigarh
Harman Sidhu, a member of the UT District Road Safety Committee, has written to the Chandigarh Director General of Police (DGP) seeking action against bikers riding without helmets during a tiranga rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) from Bougainvillea Park in Sector 3 to Terraced Garden in Sector 33 on Tuesday evening.
Sidhu, who is also a member of the Chandigarh State Road Safety Council, said many riders were not wearing protective headgear and riding rashly on Sarovar Path, but traffic police turned a blind eye towards the violations. Sidhu demanded issuing of challans under Motor Vehicle Act for the various violations caught on the CCTV cameras of the integrated command and control centre (ICCC).
The rally had been flagged off by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chandigarh state president Arun Sood and mayor Sarbjit Kaur was also present on the occasion.
Speaking about the incident, Sood said, “We had announced numerous times that the riders must wear a helmet or at least tie a turban. Due to the large number of participants, it was hard to ensure adherence to rules.” He apologised and said the party will be more mindful in future events.
Kaur also said that she and Sood had told participants numerous times to follow traffic rules and wear helmets. But, they couldn’t ensure it because of the size of the rally.
Some residents also took pot shots at the traffic police on social media after some pictures of the rally surfaced online. Superintendent of police (SSP, security and traffic) Manisha Choudhary, said, “We are verifying the matter and will take action if necessary.”
Road safety activist Harpreet Singh, said, “There should be no double standards when it comes to challaning. The fact that the rally was accompanied by police vehicles is disappointing and action must be taken against the riders.”
As per Section 194D of the Motor Vehicle Act 2019, the penalty for not wearing protective headgear is ₹1,000 and the driver will be disqualified from holding a licence for three months.