5 months ago
8
At 3 am today, an ambulance drove into Birsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district. As soon as its doors opened, family members of 24-year-old Aneesh Awadhiya broke down. The young IT engineer, who had been working in Pune, was among the two people killed after a speeding Porsche driven by a drunk teen hit their bike.
Atmaram Awadhiya, Aneesh's grandfather, said the teen driver, son of a prominent Pune realtor, should not have been granted bail. "Two people have died in this accident. This is completely wrong. We want strict punishment. The bail granted to the accused should be cancelled," he said.
Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, also an IT engineer, were returning from a get-together late on Saturday. Around 2.15 am, their bike was hit from behind by a speeding Porsche. Both Ashwini and Aneesh died on the spot. The driver, aged 17 years 8 months, was granted bail by a Pune court within 15 hours with some conditions -- he has been asked to write a 300-word essay on accidents, work with traffic police for 15 days and undergo counselling and treatment for his drinking habit. The incident and swift bail have sparked massive outrage. Pune police have said they had urged the court for permission to try the accused as an adult, but the plea was rejected. They have now decided to move the sessions court. The teen's father has now been arrested.
At Aneesh Awadhiya's home, the family members are shattered by the cruel manner in which they lost their son. Visuals showed relatives hugging each other and crying. His uncle Akhilesh Awadhiya said, "The accused, a minor, was drunk and was driving at 240 km per hour. He did not have a driving licence. This is murder, not accident."
Last night, the body of Ashwini Koshta reached her home in Jabalpur. Her family, too, is furious over the bail granted to the accused and has vowed to fight for justice till the end. "We are in shock. It is condemnable that he got bail in 15 hours. He and his parents should be investigated. We will discuss the matter once Ashwini's last rites are over," said her uncle Jugal Kishor Koshta. "She had so many dreams, she wanted to excel in life and make her parents proud. We cannot express our grief."
"We want his bail cancelled. Because of him, an innocent girl, who had seen nothing of life, has died," said Ashwini's uncle Sachin Bokde.
English (US) ·