Amid outrage over bail granted to the 17-year-old boy within 14 hours of his detention in the case of running over two techies with his speeding Porsche in Pune, many opposition leaders have alleged that the teenager was fed pizza, burger and biryani at the police station after being detained.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut demanded that Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar should be dismissed, and claimed the teenager was served pizza and a burger at the police station after his detention. He also accused an MLA from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's NCP faction of being present at the police station and helping the 17-year-old.
"Pune Police helped a rich boy who took the lives of two young people.... You're serving him pizza and a burger for what? Now, video has surfaced that the boy was consuming alcohol. Everyone was aware of the reality, and still helped him," Sanjay Raut said.
The Sena (UBT) leader asked who might be helping the accused teen. Repeating his demand to suspend Pune Police Commissioner, Raut said otherwise the people of Pune would be compelled to take to the streets.
"The Police Commissioner should be suspended. He tried to protect the accused. A young couple was killed, and the accused was granted bail within 2 hours. In the video, it can be seen that he was drunk, but his medical report was negative. Who is helping the accused? Who is this Police Commissioner? He should be removed or the people of Pune will come on the streets," Sanjay Raut told news agency ANI.
Reacting to the allegations, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said strict action would be taken if any officer was found to have helped the accused. Kumar said their probe has not revealed anything on the accused being fed pizza or being given preferential treatment.
"No facts have come to light in connection with these allegations. The police has been strict since the incident came to light. If any police officer has helped the accused in any way, we will take action after investigation," the top cop said.
Maharashtra Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar also made similar allegations, blaming the "sold out law and order" at the Yerwada Police Station where the teenager and other occupants of the sports car were taken following their detention.
"The sold out law and order in Yerawada police station, which laid out the red carpet for the child's bail by applying minor clauses. The boy who crushed two of them like ants for money was brought and fed biryani and pizza in the police station," Dhangekar's tweet, roughly translated from Marathi, read.
He drew comparisons with actor Salman Khan hit-and-run case, saying initially the teenager created drama by saying the sports car was not driven by him.
"But the eyewitnesses stood up for the dead young man and woman. He gave the police video evidence that the car was being driven by Vishal Agrawal's son and the driver was sitting at the side. Even those pursuing the action were being offered to remain silent. Finally, the Yerwada Police registered a case against the boy and arrested him. In many cases of late arrests, the accused is kept in custody for a day with the aim of keeping him in fear of the law. However, the accused was promptly produced in a vacation court strictly following the provisions of the CRPC... This case raised many questions," Ravindra Dhangekar tweeted in Marathi.
The accused teenager was granted bail on several conditions, including writing a 300-word essay on the "effect of road accidents and their solution". However, Pune Police Commissioner told India Today TV on Monday that the teenager should be tried as an adult and that they have moved a higher court against his bail.
"We will not leave any stone unturned to prove that this is a heinous crime," Kumar told India Today TV.
Earlier in the day, the teenager's father - in whose name the Porsche was registered and who was on the run - was arrested from Maharashtra's Aurangabad. Besides, the owners of two bars where the 17-year-old and his friends visited before the crash were arrested.
There were three people inside the Porsche that was involved in the deadly collision, with the teenager - the son of a renowned real estate builder - behind the wheels. The minor was drunk and CCTV footage surfaced online showing him and his friends sitting in a bar and drinking before the accident.
The families of the victims - Aneesh Awadhiya and his partner Ashwini Koshta, both 24 - have lashed out at Maharashtra Police for inaction.
