Kalyan Bainsla, the car driver accused of hitting a woman biker, was arrested from Rajgarh in Rajasthan on Tuesday, police said. The arrest came two days after his speeding Ciaz allegedly rammed into her Aprilia RS 457, sending her skidding on the road.
Shivani Chauhan, who identifies herself as Sia on Instagram, had earlier posted a video on social media making serious allegations against Bainsla. Following the video, Gurugram police added an attempt to murder charge under Section 109 of the BNS, which carries a provision for imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Police add attempt to murder charge
Gurugram police had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and registered a case at Sector-56 police station. According to ACP (Headquarters) Abhilaksh Joshi, the FIR initially invoked Section 281 of the BNS for rash driving and Section 125 for causing hurt.
Sia questioned why Bainsla did not stop after the collision if he was genuinely distressed by what had happened. Bainsla, however, maintained that the incident was an accident.
Sia also alleged that she was deliberately targeted because she is a woman biker and claimed that the incident could have cost her life.
"I feel ashamed of such people. Women feel unsafe on the roads of Delhi and Gurugram," she said.
She said videos of the incident clearly showed the car hitting her motorcycle before the driver fled.
Another video captures collision
A second video recorded by another biker has also surfaced online. The footage, shared by Instagram user 'youknowabhishek_', allegedly shows Bainsla signalling Sia to stop before steering the car towards her sports bike and hitting it from the side.
The Instagram user also said he no longer felt Gurugram was safe for women.
Sia had earlier said she was riding with a group of bikers on Golf Course Road on Sunday when the incident occurred. She alleged that occupants of the car approached the group and misbehaved with them and appeared to be intoxicated.
Bainsla says he lost control of car
Bainsla admitted that the collision was his fault but denied deliberately hitting Sia. He said he “lost control near a U-turn”.
"About 20 to 22 motorcyclists sped past me. I didn't realise a young woman was riding one of the bikes; I had simply asked her and the young man accompanying her to slow down. I did not hit them intentionally.
"She was turning without checking her mirrors; just then, near a U-turn, I lost control of the car, and the collision occurred. It was my fault; I admit it," he said.
Bainsla, a gym owner who describes himself as an international kabaddi player, said he left the scene fearing that the bikers would attack him and his family.
"I was travelling with my family. I didn't make any gestures at the young woman; I simply asked her to ride her bike slowly. I admit that a collision occurred. Had I stopped right then, those people would have beaten us up," he told the media.
He said he was travelling with his sister and two cousins. His Instagram account has since been deactivated.