Bhubaneswar: Five teenagers were arrested by city police on Monday for reckless driving on the bustling Janpath here, endangering the lives of commuters and pedestrians. The incident comes a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the city and put the police — busy in taking care of the security arrangements — in a difficult spot.
City police faced intense backlash after a video surfaced showing four SUVs indulging in dangerous driving. The video was widely circulated on social media platforms. The footage, captured by concerned motorists, showed the vehicles being driven along the Rupali-Ram Mandir route on Janpath. One of the drivers even steered the vehicle on to the footpath, much to the consternation of people nearby.

“I sell toys on the footpath near Satya Nagar Kali temple. I narrowly escaped being hit when the car swerved on to the footpath,” said Prabhakar Swain. “Initially I thought that the driver may have lost control. Later, I found that the driver had deliberately steered the vehicle on to the footpath,” Swain said.
Prasanna Mohanty, who runs a betel shop in Satya Nagar, said the occupants in the four SUVs kept shouting and honking on the road. “Luckily, no one was hit by the vehicles. Anything could have happened. The drivers seemed to have no fear for the law and the police. ,” Mohanty said, adding “We were shocked to see such reckless driving despite the presence of so many police personnel on the road ahead of the PM’s visit.”
Police said they promptly intervened after receiving complaint about rash driving. They claimed that an on-duty traffic police called up the police control room, leading to prompt action.
“Our special squad and Laxmisagar police traced two cars and arrested five people. Others have been identified and would be arrested soon,” DCP Prateek Singh said. Police did not divulge names of the accused, some of whom were said to be minors. According to police sources, the accused had hired the cars from a vehicle rental agency.
“We are verifying whether they possessed valid driving licences. Their criminal antecedents, if any, are being verified,” a senior traffic police officer said.

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