A 19-year-old man tragically lost his life after a car driven by the nephew of a Maharashtra MLA collided with his bike on the Pune-Nashik national highway last night.
The police have arrested Mayur Mohite, nephew of Dilip Mohite Patil, the MLA representing the Khed Alandi Assembly segment in Pune district. Dilip Mohite Patil is associated with the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The victim has been identified as Om Bhalerao. According to a police officer quoted by news agency PTI, the Toyota Fortuner SUV driven by Mayur Mohite was traveling on the wrong side of the road and struck the bike head-on. The police are continuing their investigation.
In a media statement following the accident, the legislator emphasized that his nephew did not flee the scene and was not intoxicated at the time of the incident.
This incident has once again highlighted the issue of rash driving in Pune. Just last month, two 24-year-old software engineers died after a speeding Porsche, allegedly driven by the 17-year-old son of a prominent realtor, hit their bike from behind.
The teen driver, who was allegedly drunk, was released on bail within 15 hours under terms that were widely criticized as lenient. The national outcry that followed led the Juvenile Justice Board to revise its decision and send the accused to an observation home.
Further investigations revealed that the teen’s family attempted to cover up the incident, resulting in several arrests.