Ghaziabad: Two bikers performing stunts killed after head-on collision

Two motorcyclists died and a pillion rider was injured in a crash on a closed section of the Delhi-Dehradun expressway, caused by stunt riding.

Two motorcyclists were killed and a pillion rider injured in a head-on collision on the unopened elevated section of the Delhi–Dehradun expressway on Wednesday evening, police said on Friday. One of the riders who died in the crash had been performing stunts while a friend filmed the act on a mobile phone.

The two bikes moments before their collision.

The accident occurred around 7.30pm on the elevated stretch, which is not open to regular traffic. In the slow-motion video, one motorcycle – the one performing the apparent stunt – can be seen approaching from a distance, while the second bike comes from the opposite direction. Despite all three lanes being empty, the riders collide head-on, the force of the impact shattering both motorcycles.

“A biker was performing stunts on the closed expressway while his friend recorded it. As he lost control, his bike rammed into another motorcycle also on the elevated road. The stunt rider, Rohit Sharma, 31, died in the crash. The other motorcyclist, Subodh Kumar, 42, also succumbed to injuries. The pillion rider, Sanjay Sharma, 40, is undergoing treatment,” said Siddharth Gautam, assistant commissioner of police, Loni Circle.

All three victims were from Baghpat and lived in Loni’s Khanna Nagar.

“The friend who was filming the stunt alerted police around 9.30pm. A PCR team initially searched the surface road before locals pointed them to the elevated section. No formal complaint has been received in the matter so far. We have asked the officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to plug any gaps through which the bikers would have entered the expressway,” the ACP added.

The 210km Delhi–Dehradun expressway’s first phase links Delhi’s Akshardham to the Mavi Kalan interchange of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway near Baghpat, passing through Ghaziabad’s Loni. The accident site falls under Tronica City police station limits.

NHAI officials said the elevated portion is ready, but about 90 metres of land remains tied up in litigation at the Allahabad High Court, delaying its opening. “We have installed heavy concrete barriers to prevent any traffic. These men must have made exceptional efforts to get onto the expressway,” an NHAI officer said.