Chandigarh: A 17-year-old boy’s joy ride claimed the life of a 29-year-old bike taxi driver and left a woman critically injured in Chandigarh early Friday, say police. The juvenile was arrested and released on bail.The deceased, Gurminder Singh, is survived by his wife and two children. He was a native of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh. The injured woman, Pooja, was riding pillion with him. She is battling for life at PGI.Police said the teenager, a Class 12 student, had taken the car keys without informing his parents. Pooja had hailed an app-bike ride from her home in Chandigarh Sector-45 to Sector-19. And Gurminder picked it up as his first ride of the day. Their paths would collide in minutes.Around 6am, the bikers were negotiating the Sector 20/30 roundabout when a Skoda Octavia rammed them, hurling both of them on the road. Passersby alerted police and a PCR vehicle was on the spot within minutes.The duo was taken to Govt Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32 where Gurminder was declared dead. Given her critical condition, Pooja was transferred to PGI.Police apprehended the boy and invoked Section 199A of Motor Vehicles Act, which deals with offences by juveniles and fixes liability on the vehicle owner or guardian for allowing a minor to drive.
