A video of a woman biker being subjected to a deliberate hit-and-run in Gurugram on Sunday has sparked concern among women motorcyclists in Delhi-NCR, who said the incident highlighted the all-too-familiar risks they face almost daily from aggressive drivers, road rage and harassment.
The woman was injured after a man allegedly rammed his car into her following a road-rage incident on Golf Course Road. The incident, which was widely shared online, prompted Gurugram police to file a suo motu case in the matter. Shabnam Akram, a 62-year-old Delhi-based biker who has been riding for nearly 40 years, said Sunday’s incident should not deter women from taking up motorcycling.
Because i believe it gives one a lot of confidence and a freedom to be who they really are, “I have spent years trying to get more young girls to ride motorcycles,. To me this incident really emphasises why even more women need to ride so that it becomes normal to see a woman ride and no longer remains a strange, one-off sighting,” Akram said.
“Yesterday’s incident is shocking, to say the least,” she said. Supriti Batra, a biker from Gurugram, said the incident reflected a fear many women riders grapple with while navigating the city’s busy roads. “Every unsafe encounter, near miss, or aggressive driver can mean lost working hours, fewer deliveries, and reduced earnings,” Bhatt said. “For many women, riding is not just about commuting; it is their livelihood and a pathway to financial independence.”
This is the daily reality for women riders in NCR. “But how do I stay safe when someone else comes from the wrong side at 80 kmph?
Meanwhile, Nupur Kalra said that whenever she rides between Delhi and Gurugram, her family always tells her, “Ride safe. You can be careful, wear all the protective gear and ride at the right speed, but wrong-side driving, sudden lane changes without indicators and men in cars who think they can block your way can end everything in a second,” she told HT.
