A 29-year-old bike-taxi driver was killed and his passenger was critically injured after a Skoda Octavia allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy rammed their motorcycle at the Sector 20/30 roundabout in Chandigarh early Friday, police said. The teenager was arrested and later released on bail, while police booked him under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act.
The deceased, identified as Gurminder Singh, was declared dead at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32. He was a native of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh and is survived by his wife and two children, according to the report. The passenger, identified as Pooja, was shifted to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research after doctors assessed her condition as critical.
Police said the teenager was a Class 12 student who had taken his parents’ car keys without informing them. The vehicle involved was a Skoda Octavia. Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act deals with offences involving juveniles and places liability on the vehicle owner or guardian when a minor is allowed to drive.
The crash occurred at around 6am when Gurminder and Pooja were negotiating the Sector 20/30 roundabout. Pooja had booked an app-based bike taxi from her home in Sector 45 to Sector 19, and Gurminder had accepted the trip as his first ride of the day, police said. The car struck the motorcycle, throwing both riders onto the road.
Passersby alerted the police, and a police control room vehicle reached the spot within minutes. The injured riders were taken to GMCH, Sector 32. Gurminder was declared dead at the hospital, while Pooja was later transferred to PGI for further treatment because of the severity of her injuries.
The case brings together two road-safety concerns in Chandigarh: the risks faced by two-wheeler riders operating in app-based mobility services and the legal consequences of minors driving cars. Under Section 199A, proceedings can extend beyond the juvenile driver to the vehicle owner or guardian if the circumstances establish that a minor was permitted to use the vehicle.
Police have invoked the relevant provision in connection with the crash. Further legal action and the investigation will determine the circumstances of the collision, including how the teenager obtained access to the car and the events leading up to the impact at the roundabout.
