The stretch on which the accident occurred. (Amit Datta)

Two youths died after being flung off the Chingrihata flyover when the bike they were riding hit a railing, allegedly at over 100kmph while going the wrong way around 1.30am on Sunday.

Tanveer Ahmed, 21, and Mohammed Rizwan, 24, both without helmets, fell around 40ft to land on the EM Bypass. One of them died instantly, the other on the way to hospital, said police.

The Garden Reach residents were allegedly part of a group of bikers who race on the stretch on Saturday nights. According to police constables who were on duty at the Chingrihata-EM Bypass crossing on Saturday night, six youths on bikes were racing from the Sector V end of the flyover to the EM Bypass end.

Vehicles can only ply in the opposite direction on the S-shaped flyover.

The Pulsar 200NS the duo were riding hit the railing on its right, apparently after the rider lost control while negotiating a sharp bend in the middle of the flyover.

“They were thrown off the flyover because of the speed at which the bike was travelling,” said an officer of Bidhannagar South police station.

After the youths fell off, their two-wheeler skidded along the road for a few metres. Its right handle broke but there was no other major damage. The other members of the biker gang fled.

Cops at the crossing took Ahmed and Rizwan to NRS Medical College and Hospital.

“Both were dead when they arrived at the hospital. Multiple wounds, including severe head injuries, caused their death,” said a doctor in the hospital’s emergency ward.

Sources said the Saturday night races on the flyover, which has two sharp turns, last less than a minute.

“The racers prefer short stretches without signals and hence choose the flyover,” said a youth who takes part in such races. The AJC Bose Road flyover, an approach to Vidyasagar Setu and parts of the New Town Expressway are their other favourites. “We race the wrong way (on one-way roads) to add to the thrill,” added the youth.

A racer can be booked under Section 279 of the Indian Penal Code for rash and negligent driving. If proven guilty, he can be imprisoned for six months and fined up to Rs 1,000. “Those who are caught are let off with verbal warning,” said a police officer.