Police to launch special drive to curb bike riding by minors

Anantapur: In the context of increasing deaths of minors in several road mishaps, Superintendent of Police K Fakirappa has ordered for a special drive to nab minors, who were riding scooters and motorbikes. Last week, the death of a 14-year-old boy Venu on Good Friday of Leninnagar near TV tower in the town drew the attention of top police officers. Two minor boys of same age were riding bikes and were performing feats by taking their hands off the handles.

Venu and Kiran were vying with each other in their performance and in the process hit another bike and lost control over it resulting in head injury to Venu and spot death. Kiran was escaped death with minor injuries. There were similar road mishaps involving minor children in different parts of district and in the city limits. Residents welfare associations president Dr Suresh reacting to media reports of minor deaths in this regard questioned from where the minors are getting the bikes. In most cases, Suresh maintained that it was their fathers who are to be blamed for sparing their bikes to minor sons.

The police should book cases against lenient parents for being responsible for either their sons deaths or for the deaths of others. Unless stringent action is taken on the parents, the menace will not stop. Riding bikes is one thing and performing acrobats in busy traffic roads is another thing which should be dealt with sternly. Rural circle inspector Muralidhar Reddy told The Hans India that the boys just to show off before girls and display heroism, they are indulging in misadventures leading to unfortunate deaths.

Besides, parents are not hesitating to buy motorcycles to their minor sons, who ride with no licence or licences secured through dubious means. Parents if at all want to give bikes to their children should buy only less than 100 cc electric mopeds. He added the police were also booking cases against the owners of motor bikes. He said the police were also conducting counselling to parents of minor children and involving NGOs and NSS volunteers in the special drive against minors handling motorbikes.