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‘Drunk’ head constable rams car into 3 vehicles in Vadodara, locals thrash him before police arrive

The Vadodara city police arrested SRPF head constable Rajesh Pandav for negligent driving and violating the prohibition law.

SRPF cop's carSRPF head constable Rajesh Pandav rammed his Maruti Ignis into three vehicles near the Baroda Dairy-ONGC road in Makarpura. (Express photo)

Two people were injured when an allegedly inebriated head constable attached to the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) rammed his car into another car, an autorickshaw, and a two-wheeler near the ONGC complex at Makarpura in Vadodara on Wednesday morning.

The head constable, identified as Rajesh Pandav, 47, has been booked for rash and negligent driving and violating the prohibition law. The police said they recovered a bottle of country-made liquor from his vehicle.

Pandav, who serves in the SRPF’s Group-12 in Gandhinagar, was visiting Vadodara for a training session at the Group-9 SRPF located across the Akashwani centre in Makarpura. The police said he rammed his Maruti Ignis into three vehicles near the Baroda Dairy-ONGC road in Makarpura.

Locals rushed to the spot, caught the head constable and began beating him before the police arrived, rescued him, and dispersed the crowd. The injured people were rushed to a private hospital.

P N Kataria, Assistant Commissioner of Police, F Division, told The Indian Express that Pandv had been booked in two separate FIRs—for rash and negligent driving as well as under the Prohibition Act.

“The accused is an SRPF-12 staffer. He was detained at the scene of the accident while inebriated. We also recovered a bottle of country-made liquor from the car… We have sent the accused for medical examination, after which, he will be released as per the Supreme Court guidelines in cases where the law provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment,” Kataria said.

Kataria added that the Vadodara city police would inform the SRPF about the cases booked against its head constable.

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“We have seized the vehicle involved in the accident, as it will be subjected to RTO checks and other investigations. We will also determine the speed at which he was driving the car using CCTV footage. We will inform the SRPF about the case lodged against the accused,” he said.

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More

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