Ahmedabad bike burning: Cops point at lack of parental control

Cops investigating the bike burning case believe that lack of parental control as well as troubled family background may be the reasons why the three teenagers had carried out senseless arson attacks on vehicles.

Of the three teenagers who burnt bikes apparently for fun, two have a troubled family background. The parents of the third teenager (who is still a minor) have apparently no control over their son. The three teenagers are Yash Ahir, 19; Yash Modi, 19; and Rakesh (name changed). According to the police, Ahir’s parents divorced several years back. His mother now lives at Barejadi in Kheda while Ahir himself lives with his maternal uncle in Kankaria.

Police further said that Yash Modi was earlier known as Shahbaz Shaikh as his mother was married to one Abdul Karim Shaikh. Ten years back, however, his mother divorced her husband and got married to one Anil Modi. Shahbaz was then renamed as Yash Modi.

The officials said that a complicated family history very frequently gives rise to deviant behaviour in children. Some city-based psychologists said that the absence of a ‘father figure’ in the family can make children go astray as the father figure is a figure of authority and can keep children disciplined.

“Children need a father figure, particularly in their teens. If a family doesn’t have such a figure, children can go astray,” said Dr Ashwin Jansari, dean, department of psychology, Gujarat University.

Psychologists say troubled relations between parents have an adverse impact on children and fuels negativity in them.
“Children whose parents are not on good terms with each other tend to become aggressive. They commit criminal acts primarily to vent their anger and frustration,” said Jansari.