AGARTALA
: A 25-year-old nursing student from Harina village near Sabroom in South Tripura died on Monday after he met with an accident while live-streaming his bike ride on
Facebook Live. Another local who was riding pillion is in critical condition.
Rahul Das, a student at a nursing college in Kolkata, had come home to Harina village on a two-day visit. On Monday, with some time left for his flight to Kolkata, he decided to drop in on his friend, Suman Das (26), and go visit the site where the Sabroom railway station is coming up, about 12 km from their village.
Rahul streamed his ride to the station on Facebook Live. On his way back, as he was speeding along the road, he steered the bike with one hand and held the phone with the other, going on Facebook Live again. When he came to a bridge, he rode up the 10-feet grader of the steel bridge, lost control and came spiralling backwards. Rahul died on the spot. Suman, who was riding pillion, was rescued by locals in critical condition. Both were taken to Sabroom hospital, where Rahul was declared brought dead. Suman was moved to Agartala Government Medical College later, where he is under treatment.
This was not the first time he had attempted something of the sort. On Saturday, hours before he boarded the flight home, he had pulled off the same stunt on EM Bypass in Kolkata. “For years, we kept asking him not to keep doing such dangerous stunts. But he just wouldn’t listen. Recently, he started streaming bike rides on Facebook Live. We were always worried. We are in shock now,” his father, Nirmal Das, said.
Arindam Nath, DIG (southern range), said, “Our investigation shows it was a case of negligent driving. We have registered a case based on the statement of an eyewitness and the pillion rider.”
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