Hyderabad: Horse rides and bike races are a common sight for the residents of Shashtipuram, Udamg-adda and King Colony. Every evening, boys come out with their horses on busy streets. Sometimes it is bike racing and on some occasions, a person will be riding a horse, while his friends will be following him on bikes honking loudly and whipping the horse. They also record the stunts on mobile phones.
A 58-year-old resident of Udamgadda said that it was regular for the alleged culprit minor and his friends to come on to the roads every evening with their bikes or the horse. “When he is on bikes his friends will race with him. But when he is on the horse his friends follow him on bikes honking loudly, whipping it. This makes the animal run faster and they enjoy clicking pictures of it,” he said.
Another resident said the boy and his friends take turns in riding the animal, but none of them seems to be trained. "When the mishap occurred, the boy could not control the animal and he fell off its back," he said.
The dangerous activities of the boy and his friends panicked the residents, but no one had approached the police. They say that there are around 20 horses in and around Shastripuram which are used for wedding processions.
Meanwhile, Hameed's family lost its sole breadwinner with his death. His son Shahbaz Shah Khan had completed studies and had gone to Dubai looking for a job, but is now jobless. "Shahbaz was struggling for a job and this has devastated the family. Now his wife has a huge task as she has to marry off her three daughters," Hameed's relative Feroz Khan said. While, Khazam who was injured in the accident is critical, the horse rider and the horse escaped unhurt. Police said they are checking CCTVs in nearby areas.
