Hyderabad: Drunk engineering student crushes man sleeping on footpath
In a fatal case of drunk-driving, four engineering students, returning from a party late night yesterday, ran over a cobbler sleeping on the pavement in Kushaiguda area of Hyderabad. The 19-year-old who was driving the Skoda was inebriated, police said. The victim, 48-year-old K Ashok, was rushed to hospital, but couldn't be saved. The four are reportedly students of Sri Nidhi Engineering College, Hyderabad.
Amrutha Bharathi, Harika Reddy, Ishanyapathi Reddy and Srujana Kowta, aged between 19 and 21, had gone to a party yesterday and presumably got drunk. While returning, at DAE Colony, the driver lost control of the vehicle. It hit the divider, then reached the footpath on the other side and crushed the sleeping man. Visuals showed the students being taken away as people gather.
According to TOI, Harika is the daughter of Malakpet Inspector Gangi Reddy. It is not known who was driving the car at the time of the incident, but police have lodged a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They are now analyzing CCTV footage.
Drunk driving is one of many factors behind the high number of road accidents in India. It still over 18 deaths everyday in 2015, according to the Road Transport Ministry. This is also worse than other factors, considering people knowingly take risks with so many lives. But drivers should know that reduced alertness, slowed reactions and impaired sensory functions aren't ideal conditions for driving.
Presently, the first offense of drunk driving is punishable by imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to Rs. 2,000, or both. For the second offense, a person can be jailed for up to two years and fined up to Rs. 3,000.
