PANAJI
Amid ongoing uncertainty about the identity of the killer Mercedes-Benz driver even 48 hours after the horrific fatal crash, a key witness, Digvijay Velingkar, has contradicted the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the police against Shripad Sinai Sawardekar alias Paresh.
According to a complaint by Velingkar, who narrowly escaped the accident at Banastarim Bridge, it was Meghana, not Paresh, who was driving the GA-07-K-7311 car. Velingkar was driving behind the Mercedes when he observed Meghana struggling to exit the vehicle after the collision, which killed three innocent lives including a couple and seriously injured other motorists. Paresh, later identified as her husband, apparently took control of the steering in an attempt to save his wife, the witness claimed.
While Paresh is currently charged with driving the car in an inebriated condition and culpable homicide among other sections of the IPC and MV Act; questions are raised as to why Meghana was not subjected to an alco-test immediately after the accident.
The Mardol police are also facing allegations of a cover-up given that the couple belongs to influential families. “Soon after the police team arrived at the accident scene on Sunday evening, they rushed to rescue the Sawardekar couple instead of also rendering some sort of assistance to the victims who were lying in a pool of blood and to those alive crying for help. It was evident the police wanted to cover up the case on the spot itself. The witnesses narrated the incident to the police but they were in no mood to listen to us,” said another witness.
By late Tuesday evening, a huge crowd marched to the Mardol police station demanding an impartial and transparent investigation into the case. They sought justice for couple Suresh and Bhavana Phadte; and Arup Karmalkar who were killed in the crash. The Phadte couple’s son is attached to the Goa police as a photographer while their daughter is a postgraduate student.
There are also demands to book the Sawardekar couple for endangering the lives of their triplets under Goa Children’s Act because their children were seated behind the ill-fated car. "If the police are serious about the investigation, book the accused under GCA as well," one of them said.
The Transport Department is meanwhile gearing up to initiate a case against Paresh for drunken driving. However, given that suspension of a driving license is a quasi-judicial process and governed by the MV Act, the department is awaiting the release of the accused to give him an opportunity for a hearing.
“Only after the police or judicial custody of the license holder is over, a hearing against him can be scheduled by the licensing authority,” a transport official said.
As per the new rules, the drunken driver can face suspension of minimum of three months and Rs 10,000 penalty.
