A LATE-NIGHT joyride on a newly purchased high-powered motorcycle ended in tragedy on Monday when two college students were killed on the spot and a teenage girl suffered serious injuries on a busy stretch of Bajaj Nagar. The accident occurred around 10 pm near Danapani Hotel, Kachipura, shocking residents and passersby in the area. According to police, the victims were riding a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 at a very high speed, reportedly over 100 km per hour. The motorcycle lost control, smashed into roadside safety barriers on the footpath and struck a pedestrian girl who was crossing the road at the time. The deceased have been identified as Yug Vishal Chankapure (19) and Rudra Shashikant Somkuwar (19), both residents of Kachipura in Ramdaspeth.

 

Yug was a second-year commerce student at City Premier College, while Rudra was a first-year BSc student at Dharampeth Science College. The injured girl has been identified as Gunjan Pravin Kokarde (16), also a resident of the same locality. She is currently undergoing treatment and her condition is reported to be critical but stable. An eyewitness told police that Yug, who was riding the motorcycle, jumped the traffic signal at Bajaj Nagar Square while speeding towards Kachipura Square. “The bike was moving extremely fast. After crossing the square, three girls were crossing the road. They were going to a chinese stall.

 

The rider suddenly lost control,” the eyewitness said in his statement to the police. In the process, the motorcycle first hit Gunjan and then rammed into the footpath protection barriers. More than seven small cement protection poles were uprooted and shattered due to the impact. Both youths, who were not wearing helmets, were thrown onto the cement road and sustained severe head injuries. Passersby immediately rushed to help and informed the police.

 

A team from Bajaj Nagar Police Station reached the spot within minutes and shifted the injured youths to a nearby hospital. Doctors, however, declared both Yug and Rudra brought dead. Gunjan was taken to the hospital by locals before the arrival of the police. Speaking to The Hitavada, Sr Police Inspector Chetan Chauhan said, “Preliminary investigation suggests overspeeding and reckless driving. The motorcycle rider jumped the signal and was riding at a dangerously high speed. Neither of the youths was wearing a helmet.” He added, “We have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicles Act. We are also checking CCTV footage from the area to ascertain the exact sequence of events and confirm the speed and movement of the vehicle.”