One-wheeling leaves 11 dead

LAHORE Despite the deployment of some 12,000 police officers including 2,035 traffic wardens at different points of the Citys leading arteries, one-wheeling was observed as traditional practice on 14th of August that left 11 dead and over 100 injured in the provincial capital. An unknown woman was also among the dead. Police sources said that at certain points the police personnel wielded batons on the bikers, booked over hundreds of motorcyclists for defying ban on one-wheeling and riding motorbikes without silencers across the City. Over 10,000 police personnel including 14 divisional SPs, 40 DSPs including 13 DSPs of Traffic Police were deployed in City. Traffic wardens, Muhafiz Force, Mobile Squads, Elite Force as well as SHOs were seen busy in their respective areas to curb negative activities. Most of the chowks and markets in the City presented glamorous look on Saturday and on Sunday evening. The main sites included, The Mall, Liberty Market, Main Market, Firdos Market, Ichhra, Mozang Chowk, Liberty Roundabout, Campus Bridge, Qaddafi Stadium Turning, Walton Road, Kalma Chowk, Liberty Roundabout, Regal Chowk, Fortress, Faisal Chowk, Anarkali, Lahore Press Club and Railway Station etc. The sources further revealed that most of the road mishaps took place at Ferozepur Road and out of total 105 accidents, 45 took place when they lost the control of their bikes while doing one-wheeling and 52 others resulted out of over-speeding or reckless driving. Police sources said that the bikers managed to enter the restricted roads and created lawlessness like situation by teasing the families and throwing fire crackers at cars. Police had banned the entry of motorcyclists on the main boulevard Gulberg, Jail Road, The Mall and in some other areas but they played hide and seek with the on guard cops and defied the ban publicly. We shifted at least 103 injured to different public hospitals. Dozens of them received multiple wounds including leg and arm fractures and head injuries, Rescue (1122) officials said. According to details, an unidentified woman was crossing the main road near Pir Makki Darbar when an uncontrolled wheelie knocked her down. Resultantly the woman suffered multiple injuries and was shifted to a nearby hospital where she breathed her last. Similarly, a 17-year-old unidentified boy was hit by another speeding bike rider near Dharampur, Mughalpura, as a result of which he died on the spot. In a third incident that took place at Nawab Saheb in Raiwind City area where a cyclist Fared was hit by a wheelie. The cyclist succumbed to injuries at a local hospital. A 25-year-old Muhammad Waseem was riding his motorcycle on the back wheel when it rammed into a footpath in Green Town area, resulting in his instant death, police concerned said. A 23-year-old PLriam Masih, a resident of Yuhannabad, was performing stunts at Ferozepur Road when his motorcycle smashed into a car. The youth received head injuries and was immediately rushed to the General Hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead. Another youngster Afzal was riding his two-wheeler at Shalimar Road when it smashed into a tractor trolley, Mughalpura police said. He was rushed to the Shalimar Hospital but expired on the way due to excessive bleeding, police said. A youngster namely Javed was performing stunts on his bike on the back wheel in Badami Bagh area when he smashed into a roadside electric pole. The youth sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot. A 19-year-old Nadeem Akhtar was showing tricks on his bike at Ferozepur Road when his motorbike collided with a tractor trolley outside a local newspaper's office. The youth was rushed to the Services Hospital where he died later.

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