Rakshit Ravish Chaurasia, the 23-year-old who was allegedly behind the wheel of the car that killed a woman and left four others injured in Gujarat’s Vadodara late Thursday night, has denied he was under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

Chaurasia spoke to reporters on Friday and claimed that he was driving at a speed of 50 kmph when he lost control due to his car hitting a pothole on the road. He said that the deployment of his car's airbags obstructed his view, which contributed to the crash.

“We were going ahead of the scooty, we were turning right and there was a pothole on the road. There was a scooty and a car while we were turning right... The car slightly touched the other vehicle and the airbag opened suddenly, our vision was hampered and the car went out of control. We were going at 50 km/hour. There were no people at that time, just a scooter and a car...I had no idea,” he said.

Chaurasia insisted he was sober at the time, declaring, “I did not do any party, I went for Holika Dahan and was not drunk….”

Asked where he got ganja or bhang from, he denied being under the influence of any narcotic. He said he had no idea what had actually happened.

“Today, I was told that one woman has died and a few have sustained injuries. I want to meet the family of the victims, it is my fault and whatever they want, that should happen…," he said,

The crash occurred around 12:30am near Muktanand crossroads in Vadodara’s Karelibaug area. Chaurasia was arrested shortly after the incident, according to deputy commissioner of police Panna Momaya.

A video, purportedly of the incident, has gone viral showing the car colliding with multiple vehicles at a busy intersection. The crash instantly claimed the life of Hemaliben Patel, while three others were critically injured: Jaini (12), Nishaben (35), an unidentified 10-year-old girl, and an unnamed 40-year-old man.

Following the crash, a video showed Chaurasia’s friend emerging from the car, visibly distraught over the incident. Chaurasia was then seen stumbling out of the vehicle, shouting incoherent phrases, including "Another round" and "Om Namah Shivay."

Leena Patil, joint commissioner of police, reportedly said that Chaurasia was intoxicated and taken into custody. Vadodara police commissioner Narasimha Komar was quoted as saying that the crash involved more than three vehicles, including two active vehicles and an electric vehicle.