Gurugram: "I will soon be back on the bike," declared Sia as she limped her way to join an NDTV special conversation with women bikers, nursing an injured left leg after being hit by a group of men in a car while riding in Gurugram.

The incident has left the country outraged. Sia, who says the fall shook her entire body physically and mentally, joined a group of women bikers rather than sit alone with the memory of what happened. "I don't know when I will be mentally prepared to ride again," she said, before adding with more certainty: "I will soon be back on the bike."

Fellow bikers who watched the video had little doubt about what they saw. Devi, who has been riding for 40 years, said: "He purposely hit her and ran away. The videos show that he hit deliberately." Pavitra added: "He knew he did it on purpose. Otherwise, he would not have run away."

Recalling the moments before the crash, Sia said there were four men in the car who gestured at her to stop. "They were gesturing me to stop. I felt scared about their intention." She accelerated to create distance, but the car chased her. "I just wanted to exit that road. The car was continuously chasing me. I could see it in my rear-view mirror." Then came the impact.

Sia acknowledged she was not wearing her riding jacket, saying: "I agree not wearing proper gear was a mistake. I have a riding jacket, but due to the weather I decided not to wear it." But she added a more unsettling realisation: "No matter how much you drive safely and in your lane, you can never be sure of others' intention."

Sia was particularly angry at the delay in arrests and the public statements made by those accused. "Because there is no immediate and strict action, there is no fear of law," she said, calling for a change in mindset. "What if I had died in that accident, what victim card could I have played?"

The conversation moved beyond the road to homes and families. Sia said she was always raised as an equal in her family and spoke about the importance of how boys are brought up. Her message to other women bikers was simple: "No need to be afraid. I will soon be back on the bike." She added: "No need to give up our passion due to some lumpens on the road. It's for the system to deal with the lumpens. We are not going to stop."

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