Aurangabad:
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Abdul Qadir Maulana, whose teenager son was arrested yesterday for running over a two-year-old girl and injuring others, said today he was being targetted because of his political allegiance.
"Is the media allergic to the NCP? Accidents can happen to anyone. Nobody wants it. But I don't understand what the party has to do with it and why is it being targetted," Mr Maulana told NDTV.
"I have full faith in the law. The case is pending in court. Let the law take its own course," he added.
According to reports, Mr Maulana's 17-year-old son was learning to drive with his father's chauffeur sitting next to him when his white SUV ploughed into a man walking with two little girls at the busy Doordarshan Kendra junction in the heart of Aurangabad shortly after 8 am yesterday. The car then hit a motorcycle - the rider is seen flying off the two-wheeler, after which it collided with a pole that forced it to a stop. The entire crash was caught on CCTV cameras.
The little girls who were hit were being taken to a temple by their uncle, Shirish Sonawane. Two-year-old Navya Sonawane died immediately. Her elder sister and uncle were taken to a local hospital; their injuries are not serious.
Both Mr Maulana's son and driver were arrested and later released on bail yesterday.