Warned him not to ride at night: Deceased biker’s dad

KOLKATA: Had he heeded his father’s advice, biker Aniket Goswami may have survived. Despite being repeatedly asked not to ride late at night, the 21-year-old chose to take a bike to attend a friend’s birthday party late on Monday. Along with his friend Raja Bjattacharya, 23, Goswami met with an accident at Hastings on Monday night and succumbed to his injuries at SSKM Hospital. Neither had a helmet on when the accident happened.

“He left around 8pm saying he would be late. My son was fond of riding bikes and I had been repeatedly warning him against riding at night. Even on Monday, when he wasn’t taking his bike, I asked him to ride safely and follow traffic rules. I wish he had taken my advice,” said Goswami’s father Ashok, who works for a private firm.


Abhishek Samanta, who was a part of the group that attended the party, said they had gathered at a dhaba in Bhawanipore. “We were taking photographs and posting them on Facebook. Goswami, too, was clicking away. He was always active on social media,” Samanta said, adding that Goswami was riding pillion and Raja was to drop him home.

Trisha Sarkar of the Kolkata Bikers’ Association said it was time to experiment with smart helmets to ensure compliance. “Such helmets are linked to the bikes and prevent two-wheeler engines from revving up unless the rider is wearing one. But despite our efforts, the move has remained a non-starter,” said Sarkar.

Riding bikes has been prohibited on city flyovers after 11pm to prevent speeding and accidents and steep fines are slapped for breaking the rule. Last year, 45 bikers were killed in accidents in Kolkata.