Role model for many, Hyderabad woman biker Sana Iqbal had filed complaint of domestic abuse

HYDERABAD: She was a role model for many students. Her guest lectures on ‘suicide not the solution’ and talks on gender equality touched many. Despite this, Sana Iqbal, known among riders as bikerni, allegedly suffered a lot of pressure from her in-laws. After her death in an accident on Tuesday, conspiracy theories are afloat claiming the accident was a deliberate attempt to kill her. In a message circulated on social media few week ago, Sana detailed the harassment she faced from her husband and his family. She claimed to have been subjected to physical and verbal abuse. “He called me names and slapped me hard. While trying to escape my thumb got stuck in his mouth and he bit me so hard that it started bleeding profusely,” read the message. 

Even on Tuesday, Sana was allegedly forced by her husband to go on a drive with him. “He came to our house at 2 am and asked Sana to join him for a ride to check out his new car stereo system. When she refused, he threatened to create a scene,” said her mother, Professor Shaheen Khan.

A techie and a popular biker, Sana got married in 2014. Her mother-in-law, allegedly, was not happy with the marriage right from initial days. After tension escalated, Sana moved back to her mother’s house.

“He forced her to start a joint back account with him. He also forced her to give him a divorce so that he could marry again. We will soon file a police complaint,” the mother alleged. 

Lalit Jain, founder of the riders’ group Wanderers Bulleteers of Hyderabad, said her pain was evident.

“We chatted until 3 am, discussing arrangements to be made for a Bombay rider. This is a made up accident by her husband who smartly escaped with little injuries while crashing the car from the left-hand side.”

However, police maintain that the offense does not suggest conspiracy.

“It was not a head-on collision,” said Narsingi Police Inspector GV Ramana Goud. “The car was moving at a high speed and lost control after going over the median. The car turned left impacting the co-passenger.”

Earlier in the month of May, Sana had filed a harassment petition (ID 00636) against her husband at Himayun Nagar Police Station. However, the Inspector counselled the couple and send them off without registering a case.

Bikers shocked

Sana’s sudden death has shocked the biking community across India. Her first two-wheeler was a Honda Unicorn. She later graduated to Royal Enfield Electra 350 cc.

During her rides, members recall, she always carried a photograph of her son and a can of pepper spray. She was the only woman biker in Wanderers Bulleteers.