Two youths lost their lives in a road accident and over 40 others suffered injuries in similar mishaps across Murshidabad district on the occasion of Eid on Thursday.

Police said the accidents took place because of reckless driving of youths during the festivity and all the victims were without helmets.

During Eid prayers on Thursday, imams of various mosques across Murshidabad district had cautioned youths against reckless driving of motorcycles but the advice went largely unheeded.

Police sources said on Thursday night, three youths — two of them riding pillion — rode a motorcycle at high speed on NH12 and rammed into the rear of a moving lorry near Basudebpur village in Samserganj. They were rushed to Mahisail block hospital, where two of them were declared dead.

In Samserganj, within a span of three hours, 25 reckless bikers were admitted to a private hospital in Dhulian with injuries, the sources added.

Taufiq Ahmed, the manager of the hospital, said: “This is very unusual. It is painful to see youths admitted with multiple injuries due to reckless driving of bikes on a day of celebration.”

The police sources mentioned that the reckless driving phenomena seemed widespread as at least 20 accident victims were admitted to the Murshidabad Medical College since Thursday afternoon.

The police said that for the past few years the trend among youths during Eid was to recklessly drive motorcycles as part of their festive celebrations. To curb the trend, the police had cautioned people while putting naka checks to rein in errant bikers.

Also, realising that the trend could lead to accidents and even loss of lives, as it happened on Thursday, several imams in their Eid sermons had urged youths to shun the tendency to drive recklessly. They also advised parents to restrain their children from undertaking such recklessness.

Maulana Meherullah Biswas, an imam of Khusbaria village in Domkal, had cautioned people against reckless driving. He advised parents to be careful while allowing their children to go on a joy ride on the occasion of the festival. “Usually in Eid sermons, I usually speak on religious issues. But at the same time, I feel it is my duty to make people aware about social problems. Driving motorcycles recklessly is a problem that I felt as an imam I should address,” said Biswas.

Not just Biswas, his counterpart at Chhoa village in Hariharpara, maulana Kazi Muzaffar Hussain, said that it was sad to see that neither the parents nor their children were serious about the issue. He requested people during the prayers to ensure that celebrations do not turn into bereavement.

But the youths turned a deaf ear to the appeals leading the accidents.

District president of the Imam Muezzin Association, maulana Abdur Razzaq, said: “Religious sermons are delivered on Eid. At the same time we use the occasion to share our concern over a social menace. Reckless driving has become a social menace. We will continue raising awareness on the issue.”

“Police always keep a watch on errant motorcyclists and slap fines. But this
makes little impact as youths never realise the danger till they become victims of
accidents. Unfortunately, many die in accidents,” said a police officer.