Gurugram hit-and-run: Accused's lawyer blames biker, says ‘she wants publicity’
Biker refuses accused’s argument that he didn’t deliberately hit her and didn’t know she was a woman, asks him why he didn’t stop if he felt sorry for hitting her
The lawyer of the accused in the Gurugram hit-and-run incident has alleged that the woman biker who was hit by his client’s car had orchestrated it to stir a controversy and increase her social media following. The biker, Sia, has refused to accept the accused’s argument that he wasn’t aware that she was a woman and that the accident was not a deliberate act on his part.
Caught on camera
The video of the accident, which occurred on Gurugram’s Golf Course Road on Sunday (September 13) morning, has gone viral on social media.
It shows the speeding car, driven by Kalyan Bainsla, hitting the biker, knocking her off the motorcycle and leaving her skidding in the middle of the road even as it zips past her right side. Sia escaped with minor injuries and later shared footage of the incident captured by a camera mounted on her Aprilia RS 457 sports bike.
Also read: ‘Felt unsafe on Gurugram roads’: Woman biker alleges car chased, rammed her
In the video, Sia alleges the car followed her and members of her biking group before the collision. She said the passengers of the car appeared drunk when they spoke to her and behaved aggressively with her.
Video publicised for views: accused’s lawyer
Bainsla's lawyer, a gym owner who describes himself as an international kabaddi player, has claimed the video was a stunt by Sia to gain social media followers.
“You see the video of the woman, see it on social media, the woman is driving at a speed of 140-170 kmph on the bike. This road is not for stunts; this road is not for speed,” NDTV quoted him as saying.
“It is being publicised to stir controversy. It is a woman who wants followers, who wants views, who wants publicity,” he added.
He said the accident was not the car driver’s mistake and that it was the biker who was at fault.
“The mistake was not on our part, we saved the footpath, the girl came right, we went a little left, and that is how the crash happened,” NDTV quoted the lawyer as saying.
‘Why didn’t you stop? I could have died’
Siya in another Instagram post, has also responded to Bainsla’s comments on the incident, where he claimed he didn’t know that the biker was a woman and that he felt sorry for her.
“If you felt so sorry for me, then why didn’t you stop? I could have died on the spot,” she said.
Amid the outrage over the incident, Bainsla, while speaking to a news channel had admitted that the collision was his fault but denied deliberately hitting the biker and claimed he fled fearing an attack by a group of bikers.
He said he lost control of his car near a U-turn, resulting in the collision.
Also read: Woman biker rammed, Kargil veteran attacked: Incidents raise Gurugram safety concerns
Bainsla told the news channel that he was travelling with his sister and two cousins when the incident occurred.
“I was travelling with my family. I didn't make any gestures at the young woman; I simply asked her to ride her bike slowly. I admit that a collision occurred. Had I stopped right then, those people would have beaten us up,” he told the news channel.
Didn’t stop for fear of beating, says accused
Bainsla claimed that about 20 to 22 motorcyclists had sped past him and he did not initially realise that a young woman was among them. He said he had asked her and a man accompanying her to slow down.
“She was turning without checking her mirrors; just then, near a U-turn, I lost control of the car, and the collision occurred. It was my fault; I admit it,” he said.
Bainsla said he initially told his brother that they should stop after the collision but changed his mind after the bikers allegedly began hurling abuses.
“My family was with me, so I feared they might beat us up if we stopped. I even stopped the car at a red light to speak to them and explained that it wasn't my fault. After that, my brother refused to stop there,” he said.
“There isn't a single case against me from the past. Now, I am being harassed,” he added.
‘You saw my hair, came close,’ says biker
Responding to his remarks Sia said even though Bainsla claims that the bikers were repeatedly speeding up and slowing down, her entire video “clearly shows who was actually trying to corner whom.”
She also said Bainsla’s claim that he didn’t know that a woman was riding the motorcycle was true.
“That is simply not possible. You saw my hair. You came close to me. You made gestures. You signalled me to stop the bike. And now you are saying you did not even know a woman was riding it,” she said.
Also read: ‘Citizens are equally responsible’: Suhel Seth on Gurugram flooding | AI With Sanket
She said one of the videos of the incident shows the car moving from the front lane to the third lane before hitting her. The second video, recorded from her bike’s camera, shows the car moving from the first lane to the third, hitting her bike and making her fall and skid.
"In one video, you can see the car moving into the third lane and hitting me before fleeing. In the other video from my camera, you can see the car come from the first lane to the third lane, hit me, drag me along, and then I fell on the road. Are those two videos still not enough for you?" she said.
Police take suo motu cognisance, file case
Gurugram Police have taken suo motu cognizance of the incident after the video surfaced on social media and are registering a case against the accused driver under Sections 281 (rash driving) and 125 (causing injury) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Sector 56 police station, ACP (Headquarters) Abhilaksh Joshi said.
Police said the accused has been identified and three special teams have been formed to apprehend him.
Raids are being conducted at various locations, Joshi said, adding that strict legal action would be taken against those found involved.
No written complaint has been received from the victim so far, the ACP said.
Also read: Gurugram encounter: Unaware of sons' gang-link, claim families of deceased shooters
Siya, in an Instagram post, had said that she would file an FIR with her lawyer by Monday evening and pursue legal action. She also said she would not give interviews to news organisations and requested that her identity and face be kept private.
Bainsla has since deactivated his Instagram account following the controversy.
Gurugram Police said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards road rage, reckless behaviour and unlawful conduct on the roads and that any such incident would be dealt with firmly in accordance with law.