Five-year-old Sanjana, who got hit by a drunk driver in Hyderabad, is on life support.
A five-year-old girl, Sanjana, is on life support and her mother is in a critical state after being run over by a software engineer allegedly driving drunk in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Venkatramana, who was allegedly driving his Hyundai Santro car while drinking with two friends, hit the child and her mother Sridevi, 36, when they were crossing the road after getting off a bus. Sanjana's older sister Pravallika, 8, escaped as she had already crossed to the other side.
Leaving the mother and child bleeding on the road, the three men allegedly abandoned the car and ran away. All three surrendered nearly 24 hours later, on Monday evening.
Sanjana's mother Sridevi is critical and being treated at another hospital in Hyderabad.
That Venkatramana could access liquor or drink in public on October 2 - a dry day because of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary - has raised questions on police carelessness and the lack of proper checks.
Eyewitnesses say they saw the three friends drinking inside the car while speeding on the highway. The police also found liquor bottles and snacks in the car.
Sanjana -- who has sustained serious head injuries and has also fractured her arm and leg -- is on the ventilator and her mother is being treated in a separate hospital.
The driver and his friends were allegedly drinking inside the speeding car.
Three months ago Ramya, a Class 4 student, was killed along with her grandfather and uncle after their car was hit by another driven by a drunk engineering student.
The child was on her way home after her first day at a new school.
The driver, K Sharavil, was let off on bail on Friday because the police failed to file a charge-sheet within 90 days, as required by law. The police claim they did not get a forensic report on time.
Sanjana's father, 35-year-old Shivanand, said, it is essential for the police to conduct routine checks on highways for drunken driving at all times of the day. "What happened to my daughter, Sanjana and Ramya can happen to another person. Now we have filed a case against him (Venkataramana) but he'll also soon be given bail," he added.
In Hyderabad, 80% accidents are caused by drunken driving and over-speeding. On an average, 2,000 cases of drunken driving are filed every month. Around 70% of the drivers get a jail term ranging from one day to 6 months.