The incident occurred on Wednesday morning between 9:30 and 10 AM. In front of Bardan Market, when a private car was taking a left turn, a motorbike broke traffic rules and tried to overtake the car from the left side. Although the car driver applied brakes at the last moment, the bike hit the car and overturned. Due to the sudden braking, a passenger's head hit the seat. The bike rider fell on the road and sustained minor injuries, while the bike was damaged.
What followed was this sequence of events—the car driver got out and helped lift the bike rider, and while trying to set the bike upright, the bike rider behaved rudely with him, as if the fault was his. The bike rider claimed that the car was at fault. When the car driver informed the on-duty traffic sergeant about the entire incident and requested to check CCTV footage, the sergeant's response was, “There's no time to check footage now. You people talk and settle the matter. Otherwise, go to the police station.” Eventually, at the police station, through police mediation, the car driver paid around three thousand rupees for the bike rider's 'damages' to reach a 'settlement'.
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This is not an isolated incident. Almost daily, from north to south of the city, a section of motorbike riders are causing accidents by breaking rules while riding bikes this way. Yet in many cases, the larger vehicle is initially held responsible for such accidents. Car drivers or passengers have to face harassment because of this. Again, police are also initially filing cases against the concerned car drivers based on complaints from the concerned bike riders.
Traffic sergeants from various parts of the city say that in many cases accidents are happening due to the concerned bike riders, which cannot be denied. Cases are also being filed against them for reckless driving. Awareness campaigns are ongoing, but still a section of bike riders are not coming to their senses. According to Kolkata Police statistics, from 2018 to 2024, the number of all types of vehicles in the city has increased by 41.28 percent. Among them, the number of two-wheelers including bikes and scooters has increased by 53.8 percent. The tendency of two-wheelers to break rules has also increased proportionally. Police data shows that out of 1,915 people who were casualties in all road accidents in the city in 2024, at least 23 percent of cases involved two-wheelers. That year, the highest number of cases for reckless driving were also filed against two-wheelers. The number is 23,087, which is almost equal to the combined cases of all other types of vehicles.
Even then, why can't this tendency of a section of bike riders be stopped? Why aren't cases being filed against bike riders immediately after checking CCTV footage after such accidents? Why should the 'responsibility' be assumed to be of the larger vehicle and the incident be 'settled' whenever an accident occurs?
An official from Lalbazar's traffic department admits, “Nowhere in the Indian Penal Code or Motor Vehicles Act does it say that in any accident, cases will be filed only against larger vehicles, not against smaller vehicles.” Then what? The police official explains: “In case of such accidents, drivers of both vehicles involved can file cases. Police will investigate accordingly and seize the concerned vehicles if necessary. Then CCTV footage will be examined and prosecution will be done.”
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If footage is checked immediately, the problem can be resolved quickly! In this regard, however, police argue, “Many times it is seen that after minor accidents, law and order problems are created immediately. Police have to stay busy resolving that and both vehicles and driver-owners are taken to the police station. After the dispute is resolved, police file cases based on complaints from both sides. Again, many times even when there's no dispute, both vehicles have to be sent to the police station at that moment to focus on quickly normalizing traffic.”
However, police explain that it's not a matter of bikes or larger vehicles—if both parties want to file cases, then investigation has to be done based on both complaints. Many times, to avoid subsequent legal complications, vehicle owners don't want to file written complaints.
However, one traffic sergeant explains that in case of any minor accident, if police initially see that while a smaller vehicle's impact may damage a larger vehicle, the possibility of death or serious injury to the vehicle occupants is less, then the matter is also considered humanely. But he also admits that through this gap, minor and major accidents are happening due to reckless driving by a section of two-wheeler riders. He also reports that police don't have enough personnel to immediately examine CCTV footage and take action.
