Man sets own bike ablaze at Mythrivanam

HYDERABAD: People getting into fisticuffs or pitched battles as a fallout of road-rage incidents is somewhat a common sight in our midst. But in a weird incident, a road-user ended up setting his own vehicle on fire during an altercation here on Monday.

Guess, who he had a feud with! It is the traffic police and the reason for his rage was the former stopping him while he was coming in the wrong route. The unusual incident happened near the busy Mythrivanam area in Ameerpet.

It was not immediately clear what exactly transpired between Ashok, the commuter hailing from Yellareddyguda, and the traffic police. But, as reports claimed, he was angered by the police stopping him since he was using the wrong side of the road, in violation of rules. He apparently lost his cool and in an act of impulse, he reportedly set his two-wheeler on fire by throwing a cigarette lighter into the fuel tank. The incident left everyone shocked including the traffic police.

Ashok, as reports claim, runs a mobile phone shop in the nearby Aditya Enclave building. The incident also comes in the wake of criticism from the general public against the Hyderabad traffic police for targetting vehicle-users during the hectic festival shopping hours and at busy areas dotted with popular shopping malls.

Habitual offender: Traffic police

However, the traffic police sought to clarify that Ashok, the vehicle-user who set his motorcycle on fire, was a habitual wrong sider driver. They said that, as part of routine traffic regulation, the traffic police noticed him coming in the wrong direction and stopped him before asking him to go back. While arguing with the traffic police on duty, he suddenly set his vehicle on fire, they claimed. A detailed press note will be released stating all the facts, the traffic police asserted.

A case was registered in connection with the incident.