Oppn mounts pressure on govt to book Bawankule’s son in hit-and-run case

The Opposition parties have stepped up pressure on the government to register crime in a hitandrun case against the son of BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule The Audi car owned by Bawankulersquos son Sanket had hit several vehicles in the Ramdaspeth area of Nagpur in the early hours of MondayAn official from Sitabuldi police station on Monday said the car first collided with complainant Jitendra Sonkamblersquos car and then with a moped leaving two youth riding it injured Arjun Hawre who was driving the car was arrested by police and released on bail Agencies quoted an official saying that the occupants of the Audi car were returning from a beer bar in Dharampeth when the incident took place and their medical examination will include blood tests for alcohol detection Police said Sanket Bawankule was also questioned in the caseOppn raises questionsHowever the Congress and Shiv Sena UBT objected to the police action Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe and Sena UBT leader and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut mounted a heavy attack on the government on Tuesday asking the police to file an FIR against the BJP leaderrsquos sonChandrashekhar Bawankule BJP state president right Atul Londhe Congress spokespersonldquoBJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankulersquos son Sanket Bawankule allegedly hit multiple vehicles in Nagpur while driving an Audi car in an intoxicated state However no action has been taken against him yet Who is putting pressure on the policerdquo Londhe questionedLondhe who is a resident of Nagpur said that the car involved in hitting three to four people in Nagpur belonged to Sanket ldquoIt was observed that the carrsquos number plates were removed after the accident and placed inside the vehicle indicating an attempt to hide evidence In the Bajaj Nagar area one person was injured during this accident but he is unwilling to speak out Two more people were injured but they are also keeping silentrdquo he saidAccording to Londhe the accident happened at 1236 am ldquoSo what was Sanketrsquos location between 1230 and 1 am Instead of arresting Sanket and taking action against him the police administration is shielding him and there seems to be an attempt to suppress the case under pressurerdquo he said in a statementlsquoLaw is same for allrsquoRaut said it was not about Bawankule but about the law which should be the same for all ldquoWhy does the FIR not have the name of Bawankulersquos son The home minister should tell who owned the car and who drove it The drivers have been changed to save the real culprit Why was the number plate removed They are trying to save the drunkard by destroying evidencerdquo Raut told a media conference on TuesdayRaut said that the situation would have been different if the persons involved in the hitandrun had any link with the Opposition parties ldquoTheir army of workers would have attacked us mercilessly In this case two people have been seriously injured and are fighting for life The law and order in Nagpur has been destroyed I donrsquot see a fair investigation happening in this case Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has no right to remain in the governmentrdquo he said adding that the CCTV footage of Lahoree restaurant where the accused had drinks was not availablelsquoPunish son if guiltyrsquoBawankule told media persons that his son should be punished if he is guilty But he insisted that his son Sanket was not driving the car ldquoI have already said that strict action should be taken The car is registered in his Sanketrsquos name There should be action as per the lawrdquo he said The BJP leader denied that the victims suffered any serious injuries ldquoIt was an unfortunate incident By godrsquos grace there were no casualties or serious injuriesrdquo He said it was the Oppositionrsquos duty to attack ldquoThey will continue to attack till action in the case is takenrdquo he addedlsquoOppn politicising itrsquoDeputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the police had filed an FIR and are investigating the case further ldquoThe police have brought the facts of the case to the fore However the kind of politics the Opposition is doing is wrong It is not right to politicise the matter keeping Bawankule in view as a targetrdquoWith inputs from agencies