The Pune Porsche crash case in May 2024 exposed systemic corruption in the city, said Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Wednesday. Speaking at an awareness event organised by Modern College of Arts, Science, and Commerce under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, Kumar said, “The Porsche case happened in the previous year, we all know about it. Many things were said: Pune’s culture has been ruined, Pune police and society are corrupt, etc. But in all this criticism, one good thing emerged. Whatever systemic corruption was present there, it got exposed." On May 19, 2024, a 17-year-old boy, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, crashed a Porsche while driving at high speed in Pune, resulting in the deaths of two IT professionals on a motorcycle. The investigation that followed revealed attempts to tamper with evidence, including the swapping of blood samples. Kumar said the police investigation exposed the "complete racket" that had changed the blood samples. The blood samples of the minor, collected at Sassoon General Hospital, were allegedly swapped with his mother's to show that he was not drunk. The police arrested the minor's parents, two doctors, and a hospital staff member for their involvement in the sample swapping. While it is true that the probe brought to light alleged cover-ups in the case, the police also not covered themselves in glory in the case. In fact, the conduct of police officers at the Yerwada police station, where the accused was taken after the accident, had also come under heavy fire at the time. The police initially invoked Indian Penal Code Section 304A (causing death by negligence), a "weaker section", and later changed it to IPC 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The late collection of blood samples for alcohol testing, along with the involvement of then MLA Sunil Tingre, raised allegations of "VIP treatment". As a result, two police officers were suspended. 'Say no to alcohol and tobacco' Highlighting the danger of alcohol usage in minors and how it can uproot whole families, Kumar said, “The boy who allegedly caused the accident was 17 years old, and he got relief and is out. But his mother was in jail for 14 months. His father has been in jail for the last 17-18 months. The doctors and staff of the Sassoon Hospital have also been in jail for 18 months." "Due to that boy’s fault, and because the parents tried to help him, they all went to jail. Due to one mistake, the whole family has been destroyed,” he added. Kumar spoke out against tobacco and drug addiction, saying that student support is crucial for reducing addictive substances. He said no tobacco shops are allowed to operate within 100 yards of educational institutions. “If there are any such shops within 100 yards of your institute, please get in touch with the police, and they will help in removing them. And I give you the right to stage a protest at the commissioner's office and refuse to go to college until it is removed if the police do not remove it. With such a positive pressure group, a revolution is required.”
