NEW DELHI: Less than 24 hours after the deaths of two medical students, another motorcyclist lost his life on the newly-inaugurated Signature Bridge while his cousin survived the accident. The duo was on its way from Nangloi to the Northeast district.Shankar, 24, died of fatal head injuries as his helmet came off when his bike skidded before hitting a divider. According to the police, the Ghaziabad resident’s head hit the divider resulting in his death. His teenage cousin Deepak, who was riding pillion, escaped with injuries on his leg.
The 17-year-old survivor, who is a resident of Shalimar Bagh, told the police that Shankar and he had worn helmets when the accident took place in the early hours. The local police station at Timarpur received information about the accident at 8.20 am, after which a police team reached the spot. In fact, a PCR vehicle took the duo to a hospital where doctors pronounced Shankar dead on arrival.
Unlike Friday’s tragedy in which two medical students had stopped their sports bike, took photos and posted them on a WhatsApp group before they met with the fatal crash, there were no reports of Shankar and Deepak clicking any selfies indulging in any stunts on their motorcycle. Police informed that while the medical students had a sports bike, Shankar and his cousin was riding a bike.
The three deaths within two days has put the spotlight firmly on the Signature Bridge, which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, including a construction delay of over 14 years, and a scuffle between Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and AAP workers on the eve of its inauguration. Despite having designated selfie spots, motorists are often seen stopping their two-wheelers and four-wheelers for taking photographs and videos.
2,000 challans issued
The Traffic Police issued around 2,000 challans for violation of traffic rules on the Signature Bridge between November 6 and 20. Challans were issued for dangerous driving, triple riding, riding without helmet, and wrong driving among others.
Kejriwal urges Delhiites to drive safe
Worried over the loss of three lives in two consecutive days, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Delhiites to remain careful while clicking a selfie and not to drive at a high speed on the newly-opened Signature Bridge. “I am extremely concerned about the accidents on Signature Bridge. It is the pride of Delhi. It is my appeal to all the people, especially the youth, to be careful while clicking selfies.