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Journalism of Courage
Vadodara City Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) booked a total of 75 cases of drunk driving in special checking undertaken for two nights on Thursday and Friday. Despite being a ‘dry state’, an additional 16 cases of prohibition have also been registered in the same period against persons found in possession of alcohol.
The special drive, initiated on Thursday, came after two consecutive incidents of drunk driving were reported on the night of Diwali and the following day. In the first incident, the accused, who was in an allegedly inebriated state, crashed his vehicle into a family of labourers sleeping on a pavement in the Avdhut Phatak area of Manjalpur, killing a four-year-old child on the spot and leaving four others injured. The accused, Nitin Jha, tried to escape from the spot, but onlookers chased the car and nabbed him near Akshar Chowk, assaulting him until the police arrived at the scene.
Ashok Rathva, Assistant Commissioner of Police, said, “The driver ran the car over the family sleeping on the pavement, and the four-year-old came under the wheels. He was killed instantly. The complainant, his wife, sister and brother-in-law were also injured in the accident that occurred at around midnight… The police also recovered a bottle of liquor from inside the vehicle… The car is registered in the name of a friend of the accused.”
In the second accident, on Wednesday night, the accused driver, Harsh Kashyap, 24, allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, crashed his Sports Utility Vehicle into some stationary two-wheelers near Subhanpura and drove ahead to escape from the spot, only to crash into more vehicles at Race Course circle before finally colliding with a divider and coming to a halt. Locals at the spot also pulled out Kashyap and allegedly beat him up until the police arrived at the spot.
Himanshukumar Varma, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime, told The Indian Express that apart from booking cases against the offenders, a thorough check of their history of violations is also being conducted.
He further said, “We have a total of around 10 offenders who have a previous history of traffic violations… In cases where the violations are of a serious nature, the licences will be suspended for a specific period.”
Varma added that the special drive to crack down on drunk driving will continue in the extended festive weekend. “People who are breaking the law and also risking the lives of other citizens by driving under the influence of alcohol or breaking traffic rules will not be spared. We have initiated a drive for the last two days, and more than 40 cases of drunk driving were lodged on Friday night alone… Those who are toying with the safety of others for a few moments of thrill will be shown no leniency. A history of repeat offenders is being looked into, and action will be initiated to have their driving licenses impounded,” he said.
On Friday night, a tempo loaded with jute bags overturned outside the crowded Sayajibaug Garden area after the driver, who was driving in an allegedly inebriated state, lost control of the vehicle. No injuries were reported in the accident.
As per data from the SSG hospital of Vadodara, between October 18 and 25, a total of 337 emergency cases were reported to the hospital. Resident Medical Officer Dr Hitendra Chauhan said, “We received 250 cases of road accidents and 17 cases of burns. Of these, 12 were fatal accidents… one burns case from Karjan, in which the patient succumbed to the injuries. Throughout the Diwali week, the emergency department at SSG hospital operated at full capacity.”
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