From Hair Loss Claims To A Helmet Funeral: Social Media Influencer Explains Pune’s 25-Year Battle Over Compulsory Helmet Rules

Pune: Why do so many two-wheeler riders in Pune continue to ride without helmets despite helmet rules being in place? A viral Instagram video has attempted to answer that question by revisiting one of Pune’s most unusual civic controversies. The video traces the city’s long-running opposition to compulsory helmets through student protests, political campaigns, arguments over rearview mirrors and even a mock funeral for a helmet at a crematorium.

The video was posted by social media creator Sonia Shenoy on her Instagram account, @s.shenoy. It has attracted widespread attention online. Shenoy said the story involves “Symbiosis Law College, five political parties, rearview mirrors, fake funerals, and even male pattern balding”. While some of the video is presented in a humorous way, several of its key events are backed by historical reports.

It started with a PIL by Symbiosis students

According to historical reports, students of Symbiosis Law College filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Aug 29, 2001, seeking compulsory use of helmets.

The move came at a time when helmet rules were being pushed more strongly across Maharashtra. The government later announced that Pune and Dhule would be among the first districts where the rule would be implemented.

But the move soon faced resistance in Pune.

One of the arguments highlighted in the viral video was about rearview mirrors. Shenoy said many Pune riders had removed the mirrors from their two-wheelers because they considered them distracting or aesthetically unattractive.

Opponents of helmets later argued that helmets affected their peripheral vision. Shenoy pointed out that this became even more significant when many riders were already riding without rearview mirrors.

The video also claims that road accidents increased after helmet enforcement became stricter, though this could not be independently verified from the historical reports reviewed for this story.

Pune’s anti-helmet movement took shape

The opposition became organised soon after helmet enforcement was introduced. Shenoy said an organisation called the Action Committee to Protest Against the Compulsion of Helmets was formed in 2001.

The campaign raised several objections to compulsory helmets. These included discomfort, Pune’s road conditions and concerns over hair loss from wearing helmets.

The hair-loss argument may sound unusual today, but it also appeared in contemporary reporting from the period. The Bombay High Court, however, remained firm on the issue. That did not end the protests.

Politicians across parties joined protests

The helmet issue became an unusual point of agreement among political leaders from different parties. There were protests and political opposition in several years, including 2005, 2012, 2014 and 2019.

In 2005, BJP city chief Vijay Kale moved a resolution opposing compulsory helmets. NCP leader Shantilal Suratwala supported the resolution, with elected representatives threatening a mass agitation.

In 2014, politicians from the BJP, NCP, MNS and Congress were among those reported to have supported protests against the helmet drive.

The issue therefore crossed party lines at different points, making helmet enforcement a particularly sensitive subject in Pune politics.

The helmet ‘funeral’ at Vaikunth

But perhaps the most bizarre episode came in January 2019. Anti-helmet protesters held a mock funeral for a helmet at Pune’s Vaikunth Crematorium.

The protesters performed funeral rituals for the helmet to express their opposition to compulsory helmet use.

The protest, however, took place while actual families were at the crematorium for funeral rites. Contemporary reports said some mourners objected to the protest and the noise at the site.

The episode quickly became one of the most unusual moments in Pune’s long-running helmet debate. Anti-helmet groups had also organised rallies on motorcycles and threatened a Jail Bharo Agitation during different phases of the protests.

The helmet debate has also produced more recent viral moments. In December 2024, a video of a Pune woman opposing compulsory helmets for women went viral on social media. During an interview, she argued that women should not be forced to wear helmets because they already had responsibilities such as taking children to school, managing household work and caring for elderly family members. She said men should wear helmets, but women should not be required to do so. The remarks were widely reported by Marathi news outlets.

Helmets remain mandatory

Despite the long history of opposition, helmet use is legally mandatory for two-wheeler riders in Pune. The requirement also applies to pillion riders under the applicable rules. Yet helmet compliance remains a familiar problem on Pune’s roads.

Shenoy’s video has now brought the old controversy back into public discussion. Her account has more than 24,000 followers and features content on a range of subjects.

The historical record shows that Pune’s helmet debate was not simply about people refusing to wear safety equipment. It became a prolonged civic and political controversy involving court proceedings, student activism, political protests and some distinctly Pune-style forms of protest.

Among all of them, the mock funeral of a helmet at a functioning crematorium remains perhaps the strangest chapter.