A day after a car was caught on camera ramming into a woman biker on Gurugram's Golf Course Road, the accused, Kalyan Bainsla, on Monday admitted that the collision was his fault but denied hitting her deliberately, claiming he "lost control near a U-turn".
According to a report by news agency PTI, Bainsla, a gym owner who describes himself as an international kabaddi player, said he fled the spot because he feared that a group of bikers would attack him and his family. He has also deactivated his Instagram account following the controversy.
"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 media.
Police said a speeding car rammed into the woman biker on Golf Course Road on Sunday, knocking her off her motorcycle and sending her skidding several metres along the road.
The occupants of the car fled after the collision, while the biker, identified as Siya in her social media posts, escaped with minor injuries, officials said.
Bainsla said the incident took place between 7 am and 8 am on Sunday when he was travelling with his sister and two cousins, one the son of his paternal aunt and the other the son of his maternal aunt.
"About 20 to 22 motorcyclists sped past me. I didn't realise a young woman was riding one of the bikes; I had simply asked her and the young man accompanying her to slow down. I did not hit them intentionally," he said.
"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 added.
Bainsla claimed that shortly after the collision, he told his brother that they should stop, but the bikers 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," Bainsla added.
The biker's father said he learnt about the incident through media reports as his daughter had not told him about it.
"This was not an ordinary accident; the collision was deliberate. This is also a matter of women's safety. We will soon lodge a complaint with the police, and strict action must be taken against such individuals," he said.
Siya, who was wearing protective gear, later shared details of the incident on Instagram along with footage of the collision, which has raised concerns over rash driving and harassment.
According to Siya, she was riding her Aprilia RS 457 sports bike with a group of bikers on Golf Course Road on Sunday when a car began following them.
She alleged that the occupants approached her and started misbehaving. When she asked them to maintain their distance, they asked her to stop the bike, she said in her social media post.
Siya also alleged that the occupants appeared to be intoxicated.
A short while later, while overtaking, the car struck her motorcycle from the side, causing her to fall, she said.
The incident was captured by a camera mounted on her bike and the footage was later shared on social media. The video shows the car hitting the motorcycle and sending it skidding for several metres.
The car is registered in the name of Manish, who said he was not driving it at the time and that his friend Bainsla had borrowed the vehicle.
Gurugram Police has taken suo motu cognizance of the incident and is registering a case against the accused car 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 they had identified the accused and formed three special teams to apprehend him.
(With inputs from PTI)
