Class 10 girl rides Enfield Bullet in village 50 km from Delhi, gets threats

Two people barged into the house of a class 10 student in Milak Khatana village, about 50 kilometres from Delhi, threatened her family and fired in the air because they did not want her to ride a bike.

The alleged incident, which had taken place on August 31, was reported to the police and a case was registered against the accused, Sachin, 30 and Kullu, 28, on September 1 under Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 452 (house trespass) of IPC, the victim’s uncle said. However, the accused were not arrested.

“We fear for our safety as Sachin is a criminal,” the uncle said.

The family didn’t reveal the girl’s age and police said whether the girl is a minor is being investigated. Her family said she studies in class 10 in a government school in Dadri. According to the victim’s uncle, whose name is being withheld to protect the girl’s identity, alleged that on August 31, she had gone to the local market to buy milk on a Royal Enfield bike. The accused stopped her while going to the shop and asked her not to drive the bike. “When she asked the reason, the accused said they did not like her riding a bike. They threatened her of dire consequences if she would not heed their advice,” the uncle said.

The suspects, along with two others, then reached the house of the girl and threatened to kill her and her family if she would be allowed to ride the bike. The suspects had guns and they fired in the air. They also allegedly manhandled her father. After he started shouting and called the police for help, the suspects fled and are yet to be traced, the girl’s father said in his complaint to the police.

On Thursday, around 50 people from the village held a panchayat at the house of one of the suspects for two hours and asked the victim’s family to withdraw the case. “We called the two parties and resolved the matter. The victim’s family has agreed to withdraw the case. The suspect persons will not trouble them in future,” said Satish, former pradhan of Milak Khatana village.

The local police however said that they have no information about the panchayat. Anil Kumar, Station House Officer Jarcha police station, said the local people neither got permission nor informed police about the meeting.

The girl refused to speak to media. The family has also hidden the bike. The girl’s uncle said the family would “consider panchayat’s advice to withdraw the case” as they fear social ostracisation. The family has also installed a CCTV camera at their house for safety reasons.

SP (Rural) Gautam Budh Nagar, Ranvijay Singh said,“We have registered a case against Kullu and Sachin, who is a history sheeter. We have launched a search but they are absconding.”

The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 states that one has to be above 16 years of age to ride a gearless motorcycle (up to 50cc) and above 18 years of age to ride other vehicles (motorcycle with gear or a car).