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Journalism of Courage
A man allegedly got out of a BMW car in the middle of the road and urinated in full public view at a junction in Yerwada on Saturday morning. A video of the incident went viral on social media.
In the initial video, the car is seen stopping on the road at Shastri Nagar junction as the driver steps out and urinates at the spot. His friend, holding a liquor bottle, is seen sitting inside the car as passersby take objection to the act. The driver and his friend then drive off in the car. One of the youths was later taken into custody by police.
Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil said an FIR was registered against the driver of the BMW and the friend who accompanied him. Patil said the two have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to obscene acts in a public place as well as sections of the Motor Vehicle Act for allegedly driving the car after consuming liquor.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone 4) Himmat Jadhav said the driver was identified as Gaurav Ahuja, and his friend, Bhagyesh Oswal. While Oswal was taken into custody and sent for medical examination, Ahuja is absconding. The accused Gaurav released a video late on Saturday night apologising for his act.
Police said they questioned Gaurav’s father Manoj Ahuja, a businessman from Pune, as he was found to be the owner of the BMW car.
Sources confirmed that Gaurav had been arrested as a ‘bookie’ in 2021 by a team led by then police inspector Rajnish Nirmall in a high-profile cricket betting case, along with gangster Sachin Pote. He was later released on bail by the court, police said.
Neelam Gorhe, deputy chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council and other political leaders demanded strong legal action against Gaurav Ahuja.
Posting Gaurav’s video on his social media account, Vijay Kumbhar, a senior RTI activist and leader of Aam Aadmi Party’s Pune unit stated, “Pune’s Drunker Brats on a Rampage – Protected by Money, Power and Political Clout! The spoiled, drunk sons of wealthy families in Pune have turned the city into their personal playground of terror. Armed with their father’s wealth and influence, they believe they are above the law – driving recklessly in luxury cars, intimidating ordinary citizens and creating public nuisance without any fear of consequences.”
