Drunk driver of 'government car' breaks into Dahanu plant premises

The car that the accused was driving

After a short argument in an inebriated condition with the security officers on duty at the Adani Dahanu Thermal Power Station (ADTPS) entrance on Saturday night, the driver of a government vehicle rammed the car into the gate three times, broke it and barged into the premises. The 38-year-old driver was stopped by the security guards at a distance and later handed over to the police. The Dahanu police have registered an FIR against him and are investigating the matter.

WR and Nariman Bhavan stickers on the car's windshield

A source from the ADTPS said, "The Dahanu police was informed on the hotline but a team arrived 50 minutes later. However, our security guards stopped the vehicle and were checking the driver's credentials. It was a government vehicle and stickers of Western Railway and Nariman Bhavan were pasted on the car's windshield. Driver Raja Thakur was in an inebriated condition and was speaking gibberish."

The source further said that Thakur first argued with the security guards for nearly six-to-seven minutes and even threatened them by saying - "Bharat sarkar ki gaadi hai dikh nahi rahi hai kya? (Can't you see it's a government vehicle?" - and when the security guards asked him to leave, he forcefully entered the premises by breaking open the iron gate.

An ADTPS spokesperson said, "We have round-the-clock security at the premises and a Quick Response Team (QRT) which is trained and equipped to handle any kind of security threat. Last night the man was driving a government vehicle in a drunken state and he had lost his way. He forcefully rammed the vehicle into our gate. Our QRT along with the duty officer and fire safety team immediately caught hold of him and handed him over to the police. The team also checked his vehicle and nothing suspicious was recovered from it. An FIR has been registered and the police are investigating the matter."

Confirming the incident, inspector Govind Omase said, "The driver was arrested from the spot and taken to Dahanu police station." Police naik Vishnu Bhoye said, "The driver was returning after attending his friend's birthday party. He was driving a government vehicle in an inebriated condition. He lost his way and entered the plant premises. Thakur has been booked under sections 297 (trespassing on burial place), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of IPC and relevant sections of the Motor Vehicle Act." The accused was produced before a local court in Dahanu and granted bail. However, the vehicle has been seized.

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