New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS): The city government Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that a comprehensive drive against "rowdy bikers" has been initiated at India Gate and nearby areas to check violation of traffic rules and illegal activities like stunt-biking.
Advocate Zubeda Begum, appearing for Delhi Police, told the division bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice Manmohan that strict action as per law is being taken whenever any such bike stunt incident is found.
The bench took note of the affidavit filed by Deputy Commissioner of Police G.S. Awana, which said that police have made all possible efforts to stop bikers from engaging in stunts on the roads for the sheer thrill of it, thus putting lives in danger.
"The Delhi Police has made every possible effort to ensure that the menace of hooligans and rowdyism of bikers, which is not only hazardous to the bikers themselves but also to other roads users, comes to an end," said the affidavit.
The police filed its affidavit while complying with the court's order asking for a report of the steps taken by them to prevent bikers from performing stunts in public places, including near India Gate, where a teenager lost his life when policemen fired at a biker in June.
Hari Kishan Dayal, a city-based retired professor, had filed the plea saying he was aggrieved by "lawlessness" in Delhi and the "vulnerability" of men and women here due to such bikers.
Posting the matter for Oct 30, the court, during the hearing, told the petitioner that police were immediately acting upon the incidents and have already booked several people.
The affidavit stated that after the June 25 incident, when a 19-year-old boy lost his life after a police officer fired at him, six people were arrested and eight motorcycles seized for involvement in stunt biking.
"A comprehensive drive against these rowdy bikers was initiated at India Gate and near-by areas on a daily basis. Barricades are erected, police personnel are deployed on pickets, joint checking by teams consisting of staff of PCR Traffic Police and Local Police are conducted, especially on weekends, to check all such bikers found indulging in violation of traffic rules and involved in illegal activities like doing stunts etc.," the police said.
"Strict action as per law is also being taken whenever any such incident is found or reported," it added.
During this comprehensive drive, 3,898 vehicles have been challaned and 475 vehicles have been impounded under the provision of Motor Vehicle Act by the local police of New Delhi District alone, from June 25 till date (Oct 11), the police said in its response.
It further said that in addition to this, 13 more cases under relevant provisions of law have also been registered against bikers who indulged in hooliganism at various police stations of New Delhi District and Central District.
"In the above 13 cases, 18 people have been arrested and 12 bikes have been seized during the investigation," the police informed the court.
It also said: "The comprehensive and combined efforts of Delhi Police have yielded fruitful results and there has been a noticeable fall in the frequency of such incidents. However, Delhi Police has not become complacent and efforts are still continuing to prevent such misdemeanour."
Advertisements to dissuade stunt bikers have also been published in local newspapers, and pamphlets motivating the public to follow traffic rules are distributed among youth.
The plea had alleged that despite claims by the police, the situation on the ground has not changed since the Dec 16, 2012 gang-rape incident, and police continued to be "insensitive".