Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday targeted Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying that he is not fit to lead the state’s home department and as long as he is in this position, there can be no fair investigation in any case. Raut’s attack on Fadnavis came a day after an accident involving a luxury car registered in the name of the son of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. He also claimed that evidence in this accident case has been destroyed.
Bawankule’s son Sanket’s Audi car hit several vehicles in Nagpur’s Ramdaspeth area in the wee hours of Monday. A police officer said the driver of the car, Arjun Haware, was arrested on Monday night and later released on bail. According to police, Ronit Chittamwar, who was driving the car at the time of the accident, was also arrested.
A police official said on Monday that the occupants of the luxury car were returning from a beer bar in Dharampeth area when the accident took place. He said that the medical examination will also include a blood test of the accused to ascertain whether they were drunk at the time of the accident. The official said, ‘A case has been registered for negligent driving and other offences. No action has been taken so far against Sanket Bawankule and two others who allegedly fled from the spot on the Mankapur bridge.’
Speaking to reporters here, Raut targeted Fadnavis over the investigation into the case. He said, “According to our information, BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s son was allegedly drunk. His car hit six other cars and four people were injured, two of whom are battling for life in a hospital in Nagpur.” Raut said that surprisingly, his name is not mentioned in the FIR and the number plate of the car was removed after the accident.
He alleged, ‘Bawankule’s son hit (other vehicles) twice with his car, but the CCTV footage was deleted as usual. If the car is registered in the name of BJP state president Bawankule or his son, why was the number plate deleted? Rajkumar (Bawankule’s son) was driving the car. But when the accident happened, it was shown that the driver (some other person) was driving the car. This is an attempt to suppress the case.’ Raut also claimed that Bawankule’s son had gone to ‘Lahori Bar’. He said, ‘You could have searched the CCTV footage to see who was drinking alcohol. But I don’t think you will find CCTV footage of that bar now.’
The Rajya Sabha member said that if Devendra Fadnavis fails to lead the home department effectively, he is not eligible for the post. “The car is registered in Bawankule’s name and all evidence has been destroyed,” Raut claimed. “As long as Fadnavis is the home minister and Rashmi Shukla is the director general of police, there will never be a fair investigation in any case in the state,” he said. Raut said that this is not just an issue related to Chandrashekhar Bawankule but reflects the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
He said the Prime Minister emphasises on equal justice for all. He claimed, “If someone from the opposition had unfortunately committed such a crime, Devendra Fadnavis and Bawankule’s supporters would have criticised us strongly. There is enough evidence that Bawankule’s son is involved in this case.” Raut said, “Is this the law of the country?” He said, “You are the Home Minister of the state. You have taken an oath on the Constitution to treat everyone equally. But in this state, there seems to be different standards for the poor and for the relatives of your party leaders.”
Raut said, “You will file cases against us, you will even put us in jail but you will happily run away even after crushing people. What kind of justice is this?” According to an officer of Sitabaldi police station in Nagpur, the Audi car first hit the car of complainant Jitendra Sonkambale at 1 am on Sunday night and then hit a moped, injuring two youths riding on it. He said, “The Audi car hit some more vehicles going towards Mankapur area. There, at the T-point, the vehicle hit a Polo car. The people in it chased the Audi car and stopped it near the Mankapur bridge. They stopped two people named Audi driver Arjun Haware and Ronit Chittamwar.”
After the incident, Chandrashekhar Bawankule admitted that the Audi car was registered in the name of his son Sanket. He said, ‘The police should conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the accident without any bias. Those found guilty should be booked and appropriate action should be taken against them. I have not spoken to any police officer. The law should be equal for everyone.’
