Kandivali Biker Dies in Chhattisgarh Rally, Friends Allege Organiser Lapses

The family and friends of 24-year-old Mumbai biker Riddhi Thakkar, a resident of Khajuria Nagar in Kandivali West, have raised serious concerns over alleged mismanagement by event organisers after she died in a road accident in Chhattisgarh on August 12.

Thakkar was participating in an 1,100-kilometre Tiranga rally alongside around 20 bikers from across the country. The group was travelling from Raipur towards Bastar when a speeding trailer hit her Bajaj Avenger motorcycle from behind on National Highway 30 near Markatola Ghat in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district.

Following the accident, her body was flown back to Mumbai after doctors declared her dead. Her brother returned from Canada on Thursday night, and the family performed her last rites in Kandivali on Friday.

A friend of Thakkar alleged that the organisers failed to arrange an ambulance or backup vehicle, despite prior assurances. The friend claimed that the lack of emergency medical support proved critical as the incident occurred in a remote, Naxalite-affected forested region.

According to the friend, the organisers had also continued the rally despite two earlier accidents along the route, including one where a biker collided with cattle and had to be hospitalised.

Thakkar was an experienced rider who had previously taken part in several long-distance rallies, including rides held in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Tourism. The recent rally was organised in collaboration with the Chhattisgarh government, and she had been scheduled to return to Mumbai on August 18.

Kiran Chavan, Superintendent of Police for Baloda Bazar district, stated that Thakkar was travelling with the group when the collision occurred. Police are actively tracing the trailer involved in the crash, though officials noted that the forested terrain has posed challenges to the ongoing investigation.