Oppn slams govt on crash involving car owned by Maha BJP chief's son; driver gets bail post-arrest

NAGPUR: Police arrested the driver of a luxury car, owned by Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule's son Sanket, after it rammed into multiple vehicles in Nagpur, an official said on Tuesday, as the ruling coalition faced attack over the crash from the opposition which sought an impartial probe.

The Audi car, which hit several vehicles in the Ramdaspeth area in the early hours of Monday, had five occupants, including Sanket Bawankule, who was not at the wheel at the time of the crash, which left two persons injured, according to police.

The person driving the high-end car, Arjun Hawre, was arrested on Monday night and later released on bail (at the local police station), a senior police official told PTI.

After the accident, a case of rash driving and other offences were registered on a complaint of Jitendra Sonkamble, whose vehicle was hit by the Audi car, he said.

The occupants of the Audi car were returning from a beer bar in Dharampeth when the crash took place, the official said, adding medical examination of the occupants will include blood tests for alcohol detection.

"We are checking CCTV footage to know the chain of events, after which further action on all aspects, including other occupants, will follow," he said.

After the accident, Hawre and one more occupant - Ronit Chittamwar - were apprehended by police.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, a former state minister, has admitted the Audi car was registered in the name of his son Sanket.

"Police should conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the accident without any bias. Those found guilty should be charged and appropriate action should be taken against them. I have not spoken to any police official. The law must be equal for all," the senior BJP leader insisted.

The accident snowballed into a major controversy ahead of the assembly polls with the opposition accusing the Mahayuti government, in which the BJP is a constituent, of trying to save the senior politician's kin by blaming the driver for the accident.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut attacked Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the accident, saying he was not fit to head the home department.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Raut claimed Sanket Bawankule was at the wheel and sought to know why his name was not included in the first information report (FIR).

"According to our information, the son of Chandrashekhar Bawankule was allegedly drunk. His car crashed into six other cars, injuring four persons, two of whom are fighting for their lives in a hospital in Nagpur," the Rajya Sabha member claimed.

The Sena (UBT) leader alleged attempts were made to whitewash the case.

"Bawankule's son hit his car twice (into other vehicles), but the CCTV footage was removed as usual. If the car is registered in the name of either BJP state president Bawankule or his son, why was the number plate removed? The prince (Bawankule's son) was driving the car. But when the accident took place, it was shown that the driver (another person) was at the wheel. It is an attempt to whitewash the case," Raut claimed.

Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar, the Leader of Opposition in the assembly, demanded an impartial probe in the case. He said BJP leaders were "high on power and money".

Wadettiwar said a new precedent is being set in Maharashtra where the owner of the car will "kill" people and blame it on the driver and make him a scapegoat.

"It is said the car was racing at 150 kmph. Fortunately, no one was killed in the accident. It has become clear Bawankule's son drove the vehicle at a high speed which led to the accident," the Congress leader alleged.

Wadettiwar claimed police destroyed evidence to absolve Bawankule's son of alcohol consumption.

"It has also become clear that police have tried to save the accused," he said.

There should be a thorough probe, including scrutiny of the CCTV footage of the restaurant that Sanket Bawankule and his friends visited before the accident, demanded Wadettiwar.

Hitting back at the opposition, Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader, said it was not right to politicise the matter simply to target his party colleague Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

Fadnavis said the police are probing the case and have also registered an FIR.

"All the facts have been brought out by the police. It is not right to do politics just to target Bawankule," the deputy chief minister added.

Elsewhere, BJP leader Raosaheb Danve said the "culprit" in the incident will face action and law will take its course in the matter.

"Whoever is the culprit in this case, he will face action and punishment as per law. It is true that the car involved in the Nagpur accident is (registered) in the name of Sanket Bawankule and he was in that car. Let the law take its own course," said the former Union minister.