Mumbai biker's Leh death exposes regulation lapse

On June 21 57yearold Jojy Cherian who was in Kargil on a motorcycle trip sent a message at 653am to his son Rohan back in Navi Mumbai that he would soon be in a nonetwork area and that he was headed to Leh Seventeen hours later his family received news of his death in a road accident there The incident that shook Rohan and his mother Jessy has also raised questions on the unorganised twowheeler expeditions to LehLadakh which are turning out to be more a ruthless business and less an adventure sportThe incident is an eyeopener and calls for regulators and lawenforcment agencies to tighten the noose on a flourishing industry that pays little heed to safety According to his family Jojy was passionate about biking and had always dreamt of going on a motor cycle expedition to Leh He had no health issues and had an active lifestyleHe had been using twowheelers for over three decades and was known for being a safe rider Eight months ago he bought his dream bike BMW G310R motorcycle for R360 lakh and safety gear worth a lakh said his son Rohan who works with an IT firm in PuneJojy with his wife JessyRohan said My dad was so passionate about this bike that he had put the bike image as his computer screen saver He had done extensive online research about the expedition to Leh We were apprehensive considering his age and the high altitude risk involved in such expeditions but he was determinedThe journey beginHe had finally decided to join Fakira Riders from Versova on their expedition to Leh My husband had even attended a few sessions The trip was from June 14 to July 6 and he had paid R60000 for it They had also created a special WhatsApp group and he had even showed us some photographs of the group members some of whom were from Pune and Kalyan said Jessy who is still finding it difficult to come to terms with his deathJojy had gone on many small rides to Lonavala Pune and so on but this was his first long ride from Thane to Leh Ladakh and he was very excited about it We finally had to bow down before his passion she saidA bike trailThe accident newsRohan said his father would be in touch with him every day and whenever he came into an area that had phone network He would also send photographs and the last conversation was through a WhatsApp message he had received on June 21Jessy who works with a large media group had just returned home late at night on June 21 and Rohan was in Pune A friend who stays in the adjacent building visited their house around 1120pm which was surprising for Jessy but he left after taking Rohans contact number and inquiring about Jojys whereaboutsJessy recalled A few minutes later I got a call from Rohan who was contacted by the family friend who had visited their house informing him about the accident and demiseBody came on June 23Both Jessy and Rohan did not have any contact numbers of the group who had accompanied Jojy and managed to somehow get the contact details of Fakira The organiser then persuaded the family to spend another R75000 to bring the body through air ambulance accompanied by one of the organisers But close family friends told them that even after paying the money the body was dispatched without anyone accompanying itNor did the family get any original papers in order to get an NOC from the Sahar police The family trusted the words of the organisers and sent the entire amount and still had to run from pillar to post to get the body released said a family friend Jojy was finally laid to rest on June 24 and the family is still awaiting his belongings and are clueless about the how exactly the accident happened midday tried to speak to the organiser Fakira but as they were still on the expedition in Leh Ladakh they could not be contactedPolice speakHead Constable Mohammed Shafi attached to Khaltsi police station Leh said In this case the truck driver Mehraj Uddin 35 who hails from Kashmir was returning from Leh after unloading goods The motorcyclist Jojy was driving solo and from the opposite direction Near Suspol a hilly area which usually sees instances of falling debrissmall stones with change in wind conditions the twowheeler skidded and was hit by the rear of the truckPreliminary inquires conducted by Shafi show that soon after the incident the truck driver and some locals offered water and took Jojy to the primary health centre at a distance of 4km The injured man was conscious when taken to the local hospital but was shifted to the district hospital in Leh owing to a serious head injury He was however declared dead before admission said ShafiWhile the police have registered a case against Mehraj Uddin under section 279 rash and negligent driving and 304 A death caused due to negligence they are still probing the case and have seized the truck They are awaiting the postmortem reportWhen asked about Jojys personal belongings the policeman said We have handed over all belongings found at the spot to the tour organiser Fakira though we havent found any papers pertaining to the motorcycleShafi said We have a tough time trying to handle bikers who come to LehLadakh during the JuneAugust season and they seldom listen to us We keep informing the bikers at check points that the place is not safe mdash the roads are not like Mumbai or Delhi where you have six lanes mdash but they also know that once they cross the check post the next police post will only be 100 km away This season the number of deaths in two weeks has crossed 15 so far Some bodies continue to remain in the mortuary as we have to wait for two independent panches to complete the formalitiesExpert speakIts unfortunate that local companies provide motorcycle expedition packages at cheap prices luring tourist and adventure seekers The cheap quotes must act as a warning as they point to compromised safety standards poor condition of motorcycles unhygienic accommodations On the other hand professional outfits provide experienced road captains certified mechanics and technical team who accompany motorcycle enthusiasts on such expeditions taking the utmost safety measures One should focus on company credentials their experience in conducting such tours instead of price said Baljeet Gujral Founder mdash Enfield Riders4kmDistance of primary health care centre from accident siteRs 60kCost of the expedition to LehRs 360 lakhCost of the BMW motorbikeJojys family wants to knowWho controls the mushrooming organisers of such tripsWhy is the government not coming down heavily on such groups organising cheap yet unsafe tripsHow will amateur riders know the risk involved and stretch of road at that high altitudeWhat are the insurance terms and conditions and is there any insurance at allCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates