Mumbai: ‘Where were cops on Christmas night?’

Most of the bikers were not wearing a helmet, and some of the pillion riders were drinking beer. Pics/Hanif Patel

Over two dozen bikers created nuisance by illegally holding a horse cart race on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on Christmas night. They not only slowed down the traffic, but also posed a threat to others by shattering empty beer bottles on the road, alleged a motorist who recorded the incident on his mobile phone.

The witness told mid-day that the horse cart race started at Dahisar toll naka and went towards Ghodbunder Road on Saturday night. "I was heading towards Gujarat from Mumbai on Saturday night. Just as I crossed Dahisar toll naka, I saw a huge gathering of motorcyclists and two carts, each pulled by two horses," said the witness on condition of anonymity. "I stopped to see what was happening. The bikers were waiting for the clock to turn 12, and as it did, both the horse carts took off as the riders caned the horses. Over two dozen motorcyclists followed the carts, and some of the pillion riders recorded the race on their cellphones," the witness added.

"None of the bikers were wearing a helmet. A few of the pillion riders were also drinking beer and smashed the empty bottles on the road, causing inconvenience to motorists. The glass shards could have injured people," he said. "The bikers had blocked the entire road as they cheered for the racers. They ignored the horns being blared by motorists and autorickshaw drivers seeking passage through the road. I had a narrow escape when the revellers smashed beer bottles on the road. I was just behind them," he added.

The group of young bikers also performed stunts on the horse carts on the busy highway. "The revellers would get off the horse cart, then run and jump back on it," he said. "Both the carts took a right turn from Fountain junction, on Ghodbunder Road towards Thane, while I continued on the highway. It took me nearly 40 minutes to drive from Dahisar toll naka to Fountain junction, instead of merely 10 minutes," he added.

"Even as the revellers caused a massive traffic jam and threatened the lives of motorists as well as the horses by smashing beer bottles in the middle of the road, not a single police officer was present to act against them," the witness complained. "The whole episode also amounts to animal cruelty," he said. In February last year, the crime branch arrested over a dozen people who had planned a horse cart race on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. The organisers Uttan in Bhayandar - Moses Mendonsa and Reinald Texeira - had planned a bet on the race, but the police foiled their illegal attempt. "Why did the police turn a blind eye this time?" asked the witness, questioning the absence of police on the night of a festival.

"I have asked an officer to check if we have received any complaint. We will also check our records at the police station and traffic branch. The person who shared the information may please come forward and share credible information, and if possible formally lodge a complaint. We will surely act on this. And if the person [witness] wants to share the information in confidence, we will respect that and take necessary action based on credibility of the information," Sadanand Date, commissioner of Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police (MBVV) told mid-day.