Helmet-less ride turns fatal for teen in Ranchi on Aug 10

The victim’s mangled scooter in Ranchi on Saturday. Picture by Prashant Mitra  The cardinal mistake of not wearing a helmet cost a teenage scooterist his life today. Rocky Tigga, a 16-year-old school dropout and resident of Peepartoli, died on the spot after coming under the rear wheels of a dumper on Argora-Kathal More Road this morning. Tigga’s friend Champa Tirkey, who was riding pillion, escaped with injuries. The bike was coming from a narrow bylane on the left side of the road when it rammed into the dumper, which was on its way from Kathal More to Argora Chowk. While Champa was thrown off his seat, Rocky, who was not wearing a helmet, came under the dumper. The driver of the heavy vehicle managed to flee. Angry, local residents blocked the road for four hours, demanding compensation for the deceased’s kin. The blockade, which started around 9am, was lifted around 1pm only after the district administration handed over Rs 3,000 to the teenager’s family for performing his last rites. Officer-in-charge of Argora police station Arwind Kumar said: “The dumper has been seized and a case has been registered.” A local resident, however, blamed the narrow road. “The width of the road, where the accident occurred, is hardly 25 feet. Given the large number of vehicles that use this stretch, this much space is not enough. Thus, accidents occur frequently. After Argora Chowk was linked to Kathal More Road, the road was supposed to be widened to 82 feet. But that never happened,” said Sunil Sahu. He added that there would not have been any bylane at all had Argora-Kathal More Road been wider.