UP Man Sets Road Ablaze for New Year Reel; Here’s What Happened Next

It has become common these days for everyone to show eccentricity on social media at the cost of safety. In one such reckless incident recently, a man in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, set the road on fire for an Instagram reel. The footage shows Sheikh Bilal writing “2024” on the asphalt with petrol on National Highway 2 and then setting it on fire with flames spreading upwards while he is standing in front of a Mahindra Thar.

The dangerous stunt was intended as New Year-themed content, but it quickly went viral. Fatehpur Police swiftly took action and detained Bilal for violating multiple safety laws. After the video was shared on X (formerly Twitter), a user urged UP Police to “take cognisance” of the incident.

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The tweet contained, “This man, named Sheikh Bilal, stood before a Thar vehicle on National Highway-2 in Fatehpur, UP, poured petrol on the highway, and set road on fire.” In retaliation to this, Fatehpur Police confirmed the arrest with legal action against him.

This stunt is not an isolated incident. In Meerut, a man named Intezaar Ali performed another dangerous act to garner social media attention. Ali filled the roof of his Mahindra Thar SUV with mud and then drove at high speed to film the mud flying off the vehicle. The video raised concerns about road safety, leading the Meerut Police to seize the vehicle and take action against Ali.

In the same vein, a social media influencer in Panipat, Haryana, faced controversy when he donned a bra and pants to dance in the Insar market. Women who were present at the place termed his act as “obscene,” leading to his intervention by locals. The influencer apologized later and left the area.

They pointed out an upward trend of extreme and dangerous stunts done for online popularity, which prompted action from the authorities in the interest of public safety.