Maharashtra BJP chief's son's Audi rams into vehicles, 2 arrested
What's the story
In another high-profile hit-and-run incident in Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule's son, Sanket Bawankule, reportedly fled the scene after his Audi collided with multiple vehicles in Nagpur, according to news agency ANI. The Sitabuldi police registered a case of rash driving against Arjun Haware, the car's driver, and Ronit Chintanwar, a passenger. However, the report did not confirm Sanket's name in the official complaint filed by authorities.
Arrests and injuries
Arrested men released on bail
The series of crashes resulted in injuries to two moped riders hit by the Audi. A 14-second video clip shows the luxury vehicle speeding through an intersection and hitting multiple vehicles. The incident occurred around 1:00am with five occupants in the car, including Sanket himself, report said. Notably, Haware and Chintanwar have been released on bail after their blood samples were taken for examination.
Investigation underway
Maharashtra BJP chief calls for impartial investigation
According to reports, the Audi first collided with a car belonging to Jitendra Sonkamble in Ramdaspeth area. It then continued to hit several other vehicles before being stopped near Mankapur bridge by occupants of a Polo car it had also hit. Chandrashekhar has confirmed that the Audi is registered under his son's name and urged for an impartial police investigation into the matter, stating "The law must be equal for all."
Allegations
Opposition alleges state trying to 'save' BJP leader's son
The incident has triggered political backlash from opposition parties, accusing the government of attempting to protect Sanket. The Maharashtra wing of the Congress shared a video of the accident on social media and accused the BJP leader's son of hitting "four cars in a drunken state." The party also accused that the "entire home department went to work to save and hide the boy."
Twitter Post
Watch the CCTV footage of the accident here
नागपूरमध्ये भाजपच्या एका बड्या नेत्याच्या सुपुत्राने मध्यरात्री मद्यधुंद अवस्थेत चार ते पाच गाड्यांना धडक दिली, त्यानंतर संपूर्ण गृहखातं त्या मुलाला वाचवण्यासाठी व लपवाछपवी करण्यासाठी कामाला लागलं. मग कायदा आणि सुव्यवस्था फक्त सामान्य जनतेला छळण्यासाठीच आहे का? pic.twitter.com/ylN8QfdxdD
— Maharashtra Congress (@INCMaharashtra) September 9, 2024