Delhi Police action was justified, say city's professional bikers

[caption id=“attachment_993647” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] Dr Arun Thareja says his blood boils every time he sees bikers speeding and weaving in between vehicles, making a mockery of traffic rules. An ENT specialist and founder of Group of Delhi Superbikers (GODS), Thareja believes that stunt bikers, like those who allegedly confronted Delhi Police on Sunday morning, bring a bad name to bikers in the city. A pillion rider was killed and another injured in central Delhi yesterday when police personnel fired at the tyres of a motorcycle, after a large group of bikers surrounded them and allegedly assaulted them with bricks. “They don’t understand. They have a mob mentality and no respect for traffic rules and fellow commuters on the road. And the worst part is that no amount of counselling works with them,” said Dr Thareja, who has been a professional biker for around three decades. To avoid inexperienced and casual bikers, membership to GODS is open to only those above 25 years, he said. Although he said he was saddened by Sunday’s accident, Dr Thareja said the police crackdown and strict laws were the only options if bikers continue to create a nuisance on city roads. “When nothing else works, you need force,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_993627” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Matharu says dedicated areas for bikes would help. Image courtesy: Sunny Matharu[/caption] Sunny Matharu, who started biking at the age of 21 and went on to participate in MTV Stunt Mania- a reality show based on stunt biking -  said a lack of dedicated road stretches for bikers is the primary reason many of them get use city roads. “Unlike India, biking is a recognised sport in many countries. Here, there are hardly any corridors where they can practice and improvise. Eventually, they end up learning and showing their skills on the roads meant for general traffic,” said Matharu. Matharu suggested the Uttar Pradesh government could make part of the Budhha International Circuit, presently used for auto racing, a paid biking track. “If provided with good facilities, some of them might represent the country in international contests. You never know,” he said. The biker community in the national capital believes an increase in the number of television shows and films about motorcycling has resulted in a rise in the number of bikers in the city. However, only a few took the steps to become professional bikers. “A majority of them just want to become chocolate boys, by performing stunts before a crowd of 50 odd people. They don’t have the perseverance required to become a professional biker,” said Matharu. There are some who have put their racing days behind them like 21-year-old Navaid. Earlier, he would race his Pulsar 220 motorcycle on the road around India Gate almost every fortnight. When he was supposed to join a gang of around 30 bikers during the last Shab-e-Baraat, Navaid was unable to. “My parents locked me in a room and release me only next morning. Then they shared their own experience with me…They told me how terrible they felt when they recently spotted a gang of bikers troubling commuters on the road. I haven’t taken my bike out since then,” he said.