Bikers hurt 90-year-old; cops summon her

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a 90-year-old woman, Sakhubai Shinde was asked to personally visit the police station and register a complaint after two bikers allegedly rammed into her while she was sitting outside her house. While the city has a dedicated helpline for its senior citizens, inspector Naushad Tamboli of Kurla police station did not direct officials to reach out to the injured victim. Instead he said they would act only if she came to the police station. The accused, after the arrest, were found to be riding without a helmet and were performing bike stunts.

Ms Shinde, a vegetable-seller at the Sambhaji Chowk market, was sitting in her veranda on Sunday night when two youths on a motorcycle rammed into her. She sustained injuries on her right foot. The locals had already warned the duo to not perform stunts as Gudi Padwa preparations were underway. Paying no heed to the warning, the youths were performing a wheelie and hit a speed breaker, thereby landing on the victim’s foot. The locals alerted the police.

Speaking to The Asian Age, Inspector Naushad Tamboli of Kurla police station said, “We could take cognisance against the youth only after Sakhubai Shinde comes to the police station and lodges a complaint with us.” He further added, “We have been getting many complaints about the loud horns and screeching sounds made by stuntmen but the locals need to come forward and lodge a complaint with the police station.”

Ms Shinde’s son, Vivek, said, “We had to take my mother to the civic-run Sion Hospital where she got four stitches on her foot. The police arrested the two young men only after my mother personally went and complained to the police. The two youths were neither wearing a helmet nor did they have a license to ride a motorcycle.”