Pune accident case: Maharashtra CM asks for strict action in mishap involving juvenile

The deceased Ashwini Costa and Anis Awadhiya

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis have instructed that stringent action be taken in the case of a car accident allegedly involving a 17-year-old boy that killed two persons, the Pune police chief said on Tuesday.

The Porsche allegedly driven by the juvenile, who the police claim was drunk at the time, knocked down two motorbike riders in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune city in the early hours of Sunday, causing their deaths, as per officials.

The police have detained the boy's father, a real estate developer, and arrested three executives of two hotels for serving liquor to the juvenile, they said.

"The chief minister, the deputy chief minister and home minister [Fadnavis], and the [Pune] guardian minister [Deputy CM Ajit Pawar] have given clear instructions to the police to take stringent action in this case. The state Director General of Police has also instructed for strong action," Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar told reporters here.

The father of the 17-year-old

He addressed the public's concerns that the police were not taking adequate action in the case. Kumar affirmed that both the government and police were committed to taking stringent measures against those responsible for the incident.

Asked about any pressure on the police in this case, the official said that from the beginning, the police have been acting according to the law and there was no pressure on the cops from anyone.

"I mentioned yesterday [on Monday] that we are ready to discuss every legal step taken by the police. We have taken the most stringent possible action. If legal experts believe there are more stringent provisions available, they should come forward for a public discussion," he said.

Kumar said on the first day, the police invoked Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), in addition to section 304A (causing death by negligence).

"We also moved an application before a court seeking permission to treat the juvenile as an adult due to the heinous nature of the act. Unfortunately, the court rejected our application. We have now approached the district sessions court and are awaiting the judgment," he said.

Blood report awaited

Kumar said the blood report of the juvenile is still awaited. However, the CCTV footage of the restaurants and bill payments made there indicate the juvenile had consumed alcohol, he said.

On the allegations of "preferential treatment" being given to the juvenile while in custody after the incident, Kumar said stringent action would be taken against the police personnel if they were found to be aiding the teenager directly or indirectly.

A group of friends were returning on motorbikes at around 3.15 am on Sunday after a party when the speeding Porsche hit one of the motorcycles at Kalyani Nagar junction.

The two riders - Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa, both 24-year-old IT professionals hailing from Madhya Pradesh - died of their injuries, police said.

The accused teenager was subsequently produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which granted him bail hours later.

A case has been registered against the youngster under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, as per the police

The police had registered a case against the teenager's father, a real estate developer, under sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and against the owners and staff members of the bar establishments for serving alcohol to an underage person.

The probe in these cases has been transferred to the Crime Branch, an official earlier said.

Section 75 deals with "willful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses," while section 77 deals with supplying a child with intoxicating liquor or drugs.

‘Sack Pune police chief'

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut demanded the removal of the Pune police commissioner in connection with the accident.

Talking to reporters, he alleged the police gave a false report in connection with the incident and wondered whom the Pune police chief was trying to save.

"The Pune police commissioner should be sacked. Who has he helped in this case? Two innocent persons lost their lives. The boy can be seen drinking in a pub. This is a corrupt police system and a corrupt MLA," he claimed without elaborating.

"Whom is the police commissioner trying to save? You are giving a false report," the Rajya Sabha member alleged.

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