Illegal horse-cart race sows chaos on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway

The unruly group of bikers included young women. Pics/Hanif Patel

An illegal horse-cart race was witnessed along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on Sunday afternoon. Eyewitnesses, who recorded the race along the busy stretch, said there were around six carts, each being pulled by two horses that were mercilessly whipped by the riders to make them speed up. Meanwhile, motorcycle-borne youth, including young women, cheered the riders.

"I was returning from Thane in a car along with my friends on Sunday when we noticed absolute mayhem on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway around 5.30 pm. We saw an illegal horse-cart race on the recently inaugurated Versova bridge in broad daylight, an eyewitness told mid-day, adding that a large group was following them on motorcycles, chugging beer and throwing the empty bottles on the stretch.

At least one rider was seated in every cart and one of them was a woman

According to the eyewitness, none of the bikers were wearing helmets and their reckless riding caused a major inconvenience to everyone using the road. "The motorcyclists were also seen performing stunts on their bikes, while the women cheered the riders by standing on the footrests of the motorcycles in motion, with their hair blowing in the wind," said an eyewitness who was heading from Thane to Vasai, adding that one of the youths also fell down amid the ruckus. Meanwhile, there were no policemen along the road, as the "entire stretch on the newly-inaugurated Versova bridge was blocked by the racers.

Asked where the race commenced and where the revellers went, the eyewitness said, "I noticed them only when we reached the Versova bridge. I presume they must be coming from Dahisar and heading towards Bhayandar or Naigaon. I didn't follow them as they were throwing empty beer bottles on the road and it could have caused a fatal crash. This seems to have been a well-planned race for a bet as the revellers had come in large numbers to throw traffic out of gear."

Another eyewitness told mid-day that the revellers did not care about vehicles seeking passage on the busy stretch and completely occupied the highway. "No one dared intervene due to their large numbers. It was really problematic for those travelling from Dahisar to Vasai as all the lanes were occupied by them and no policemen were seen on the road."

Animal rights activist Vijay Mohanani said that the Supreme Court as well as the Bombay High Court has banned the commercial use of horse carriages. "Yet they are seen near sea beaches in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts. We have been receiving several complaints from Uran and Alibaug areas and the local police have been apprised of this illegal practice. But, as usual, the complaints are not being heard," Mohanani said.

According to Mohanani, people place bets on these illegal races which can be held only because government officials are hand in glove with the violators. "This is a big racket as people can make large amounts of easy money. When complaints are made, they disappear from the road. It is very surprising that the cops are unable to control such illegal practices which are happening in broad daylight," Mohanani added. When mid-day apprised Mira-Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey about the incident, he said, "I will look into the matter."

Devidas Handore, a traffic inspector from MBVV, police said that there were seven horse-carts and all of them came from Mumbai. "At least one rider was seated in each horse-cart and in one cart there was also a woman. They entered MBVV police jurisdiction in two lots… three carts crossed the Dahisar check naka at once and the remaining four carts followed them after a few minutes," he stated.

According to Handore, a traffic constable had asked the riders where they were coming from and one of them said Malad. "At that time, it was not certain if the bikers were with them. But after a few minutes, the bikers joined the race. We have not given any permission for such a race," Handore said, adding that they are checking with Mumbai traffic police officials to ascertain where the group came from. "Their movements are being tracked and strict action will be taken against them."

mid-day had reported on a similar incident in its December 27, 2021 edition, after an illegal horse-cart race was held on the night of December 25.

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No. of horse-carts police say took part in the race