In the first major action following outrage over alleged lapses by the police after the Pune Porsche accident, in which two techies in their 20s lost their lives, an inspector and an assistant police inspector have been suspended and the case has been transferred to the Pune Police Crime Branch.
Police Inspector Rahul Jagdale and Assistant Police Inspector Vishwanath Todkari were suspended for not following the protocol of informing their superiors – the deputy commissioner of police on night duty in this instance – about the case. The cops were attached to the Yerwada police station, where the teenager was taken after the accident.
The case, which was registered at the police station, has also been taken away and assigned to the Crime Branch.
The accident took place around 2.15 am on Sunday, when the 17-year-old, who had been drinking with his friends in two pubs in Pune to celebrate his Class 12 results, knocked down the two 24-year-old IT professionals in the Kalyani Nagar area. Aneesh Awadhiya, who was riding the bike was sent flying and hit a parked car, while Ashwini Koshta – who was riding pillion – was flung 20 feet into the air. Both of them died on the spot.
NDTV had reported how, in addition to probing the alleged preferential treatment given to the boy – the son of a prominent Pune realtor – his medical test had been delayed. Another lapse on the part of the cops, which had been pointed out by sources, was that the cops did not inform the central police control room, disregarding the laid-down procedure.
The control room has to be informed to ensure there is a proper record of cases and senior police officials can also get involved if a case comes up that needs their attention.
Earlier on Friday, the teenager’s father, who was in police custody, was sent to judicial custody till June 7. The boy had been sent to a remand home till June 5.
