Helmetless Bachchan, Anushka: Bike owners slapped with fines

According to Pravin Padwal, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), they sent e-challans to the bike owners after photographs of the two incidents were posted on social media and some netizens pointed out that the bikers and the pillion riders violated the mandatory helmet rule. He added that traffic police officers verified the incidents with the help of CCTV camera footages.

MUMBAI: If you think you can get away with breaking traffic rules just because you are giving a celebrity a lift, think twice. Mumbai traffic police are having none of it.

Helmetless Bachchan, Anushka: Bike owners slapped with fines

Two days after photographs of two incidents showing bikers giving lift to Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Anushka Sharma went viral, the Mumbai traffic police on Tuesday issued e-challans, imposing fines on the owners of the two-wheelers for allowing the actors to ride on their bikes without helmets.

According to Pravin Padwal, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), they sent e-challans to the bike owners after photographs of the two incidents were posted on social media and some netizens pointed out that the bikers and the pillion riders violated the mandatory helmet rule. He added that traffic police officers verified the incidents with the help of CCTV camera footages.

In the first incident, photographs showed Sharma riding pillion on a motorbike with both, the biker and the actor, not wearing helmets. “We got the number of the two-wheeler and the name of the bike owner from regional transport office,” said Padwal.

The motorcycle was found to be registered in the name of Mohammed Umar Shaikh, but it was being driven by one of his friends, who did not have a valid driving license at the time, said Padwal.

“His (rider’s) learning license had expired in 2020 and therefore a fine of ₹5,000 was imposed on the rider and an equal amount of fine was levied on the bike owner. Besides, a fine of ₹500 was levied for helmet less riding under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. The owner has paid the fines levied through the e-challans,” added Padwal.

The second incident involving Bachchan took place a few days back. The superstar had posted the photograph claiming that he had taken lift from an unknown biker to reach a film shooting site on time. The photograph showed both the biker, and the actor riding without wearing helmets.

After the photos went viral and netizens asked questions about the actor riding helmetless, Bachchan said that the photograph was taken at a shooting site in Fort on Sunday and he did not actually travel on the bike, as claimed in the post.

The Mumbai police enquired into the incident said that they had shared this information with the traffic control branch. “We could only see number plate partially. We identified the biker after sifting through all the registered motorcycles of the make and model (Himalayan Eliminator) and the bikers to whom e-challans had been issued in the past,” said Padwal.

On Tuesday, an e-challan was issued to the bike owner, identified as Deepak Dattaram Bhosale, a Vakola resident, under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act, levying a fine of ₹1,000 on him. The bike owner has paid the fine. Padwal said Bhosale’s friend was riding the bike when Bachchan hopped on as a pillion rider.