Pathankot: For the family of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, the decision to rename a proposed New York City bill after him is a rare honour that comes with overwhelming grief.“All we wanted was Romanch back,” summed up the sentiment in his Punjab hometown Pathankot, after New York City council member Christopher Marte announced that a bill seeking to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city would be renamed ‘Romanch’s Law’ in memory of the teenager, who died after a horse-drawn carriage accident in Central Park. “I don’t know what to say about the honour being given to Romanch after his untimely death. I only wish he had returned home smiling from his trip,” said Mohit Aggarwal, a Pathankot resident. “There is no reason to be happy. No tribute can make up for the loss of a young man with a bright future.”Marte made the announcement at a vigil held in New York’s Central Park on Monday. The bill, originally titled ‘Ryder’s Law’, seeks to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City. It was earlier named after Ryder, a carriage horse that collapsed in 2022, triggering demands by animal welfare groups for a ban on the practice.Romanch, 18, died after suffering injuries when he fell from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park on June 17 while trying to help his mother after the horse bolted.“People may see this as a great tribute, but for many of us it is also a painful reminder of a life cut short,” said Lovepreet Singh, a graduate student from Pathankot. “Romanch should have been pursuing his dreams, not being remembered through a law named after him.”At the vigil, Marte also read out a letter from Romanch’s family calling for an immediate ban on horse-drawn carriage rides, saying allowing them to resume while the family was preparing for his funeral would place tourism above human life. (With inputs from PTI)
