A 23-year-old motorcyclist was killed after colliding with an SUV that was being driven on the wrong side of the road in Gurugram. The SUV driver was arrested but was released on bail shortly afterward.
The accident had occurred on the morning of September 15, around 5:45 a.m., on Golf Course Road in the DLF Phase-2 area of the city.
However, the incident drew public attention after footage of the crash surfaced online on Thursday, showing the biker speeding and colliding with the SUV, which was driving in the wrong direction in the right-most lane.
Akshat Garg, a resident of Dwarka in New Delhi, was wearing safety gear, including a helmet and gloves, at the time of the crash.
The video captures Garg attempting to make a turn before being struck by the black SUV, resulting in a loud crash. The collision threw Garg off his motorcycle and wrecked the front of the SUV.
His friend, 22-year-old Pradyuman Kumar, was riding approximately 100 feet behind him on a separate motorcycle. The accident was recorded on a camera mounted on Kumar's bike.
"Akshat was taking a slight turn when suddenly a Mahindra XUV 3XO appeared from the wrong side and collided with the bike head-on. The impact was such that Akshat was thrown off his bike behind the car. The front of the SUV was wrecked," Kumar told the police.
The SUV driver, identified as 25-year-old Kuldeep Kumar Thakur, a resident of Ghitorni and co-founder of a PR company, reportedly had a political sticker linked to the BJP on his vehicle.
Bystanders quickly gathered at the scene, and emergency services were alerted. An ambulance transported Garg to a nearby hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.
Garg and Kumar had departed from separate locations—Garg from Dwarka and Kumar from New Palam Vihar—with plans to meet other riders at Ambience Mall after leaving DLF Downtown.
Speaking to India Today, Kumar said that police did not seize the footage immediately. It was only three days later, after Thakur had been released on bail, that authorities reached out for the video.
According to the same India Today news report, Thakur had a history of traffic violations, including fines for driving and parking on the wrong side of the road, with the most recent citation issued on August 24.
The handling of the case has faced scrutiny, particularly due to the accused's swift release on bail. Thakur reportedly co-owns a company that manages social media campaigns for politicians.
Commenting on the incident, DLF Phase-II SHO Sandeep Kumar said on Friday that the SUV driver was arrested and subsequently released on bail.
"Neither the car driver nor Garg had any chance to avoid the collision. The impact flung Garg above the car, and his motorcycle was mangled beyond recognition," he added.
The victim's body was later handed over to his family after a postmortem.
Meanwhile, Garg's mother demanded justice, questioning the bail granted to the SUV driver and accusing the police of failing to assist the family.
"I want justice for my son. A person in the wrong killed my son. My only question is, why was he released on bail? My son has gone, but he (the accused) slept peacefully that night. Why are the police not helping us?" Garg's mother told NDTV.
SHO Kumar said an FIR was registered based on a complaint by Pradhuman, a friend of the victim, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. "The family of the victim has not approached us to add any additional charges in the case yet," Kumar stated.