Mumbai, June 3: Four teenaged students from rich and influential families, whose Honda Accord knocked down a street vendor and his son last evening, got bail soon after midnight citing their status as minors.
The police today blamed the chauffeur although eyewitnesses said one of the youths was at the wheel and identified him by name.
The boys, all 17 years old, and chauffeur Sagar Kadam were released by a Bandra court on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 each. The magistrate said the boys — one of them related to Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, Rajya Sabha member and general secretary of ruling partner Nationalist Congress Party — must appear before the Dongri juvenile court tomorrow or face arrest.
The incident comes days after a sting operation alleged that the prosecution in Delhi’s high-profile BMW hit-and-run had colluded with the defence to save accused Sanjeev Nanda, grandson of former navy chief S.M. Nanda.
The Honda accident severely injured the two victims, one of whom was lying unconscious in hospital this evening. “The car was being driven by Kadam. Initial reports suggest the vehicle is owned by the proprietor of an outlet of a coffee chain,” additional commissioner of police (west region) Bipin Bihari said.
But eyewitnesses said the person at the wheel was a grandson of the late producer-director Sultan Ahmed, in whose name the car (MH 06 AB 205) is registered.
Ahmed, who produced such hits as the Bachchan-Rekha starrer Ganga Ki Saugandh and the Rajesh Khanna-Jeetendra film Daata, died four years ago.
Jaikishen, an ATM security guard, said: “We know the boy who drove the car. He is from the family that owns the coffee outlet. He took two-three turns and was showing off his newly acquired driving skills to his friends.”
One of the other boys is from the Rizvi family which has hotel, construction and software businesses.
The site is barely 500 metres from where businessman’s son Alistair Pareira had last year mowed down seven pavement sleepers, but was let off with six months’ jail amid suspicion that the police had weakened the case. He was re-arrested and the case reopened after Bombay High Court criticised the judgment.
On Saturday, Omprakash Jaiswal, 46, and son Sachin, 22, were selling paani puri at their pavement stall when they were knocked down around 6.30 pm.
“The doctors are worried about Sachin. Both his legs are crushed and he hasn’t stopped bleeding,” said Virendra Gupta, Om’s brother-in-law. “Om’s whole face is stitched up. He sought discharge as he is the breadwinner.”
Inspector Tungare, the investigating officer, played down the incident. “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill — they are just kids. The victims have face injuries and some broken bones, that’s all,” he said at Khar police station. “The kids didn’t do this, it seems the driver is to blame.”
