Tags:
Journalism of Courage
NAGPUR, APRIL 11: More than 24 hours after the incident, uncertainty prevailed over the identity of the ‘turbaned’ man driving a Tata Safari that snuffed the life out of world renowned Sanskrit scholar Pradnyabharati Dr S B Varnekar.
Apart from the fact that the Safari now remains impounded with the Dhantoli police, there was little the investigators could speak about the progress of their probe. All they could say was to express hope that the wanted man would be behind bars soon. No arrest was reported till late Monday evening.
The Safari (MH31-AD-6666) which belongs to local businessman Dalbir Singh Tuli was ‘seized from a garage’ and was towed back by a crane to the Dhantoli police station on Monday.
However, none of the investigating officials, with whom The Indian Express spoke, could tell the site from where the Safari was seized. On Sunday night, the police did visit Dalbir Singh’s house but the Safari was not there, an investigator said.
According to authoritative sources, Dalbir Singh has claimed that the Safari was being driven by his driver, who is since absconding. Investigators, however, maintained that they can hardly rely on what Dalbir Singh has to say when weighed against the witness account suggesting that the Safari was being driven by a ‘turbaned’ man.
"It could even be his son. How can we conclude right now unless we come across facts corroborating events in the course of the ensuing probe?" a police officer said. The police were, nevertheless, unyielding in providing the name of the driver whom Dalbir Singh has named as the one driving his car.
According to sources, Dalbir Singh told investigators that he was not present in the city at the time when the accident occurred and had gone out to Akola along with a government servant for some work at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) there. Police were verifying these facts.
The developments have not only proved to be a cause of concern and dismay for the well-wishers of the bereaved family but have also given way to widespread speculation over likelihood of the real culprit landing behind the bars.
Dr Varnekar along with his wife, Kamal, and four others were proceeding towards Janata Square from Bajaj Nagar along the Central Bazaar Road in a chauffer-driven Maruti van when it was hit by the Safari at Kachhipura Chowk in Ramdaspeth, around 3:30 p.m.
Such was the impact of the collision that the van rolled over thrice before coming to rest in front of the Agriculture College Hostel. Dr Varnekar who was flung out of the van, sustained multiple head injuries and was rushed to a nearby private nursing home by hostel students.
Later, he was shifted to a private hospital in Dhantoli and kept on a life support system till he succumbed to his injuries around two in the wee hours of Monday.
