Mumbai:
18-year-old Shivani Raut is the latest victim of drunken driving on the streets of Mumbai. Shivani was out with her friends on Friday night when the car she was travelling in lost control and hit a tree; it then hit a divider and then hit a stationary auto rickshaw.
The car was being driven by 23-year-old Rahul Mishra who was under the influence of alcohol. Rahul was arrested this morning and produced in court. The police have charged Rahul Mishra under IPC sections 279, 338, 304(A) and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act. He has been sent to police custody till April 4.
Along with Rahul at the wheels, the car had five passengers - three girls and two more boys. While the boys Krishnamani Thavar (23) and Amit Manilal Gupta (23) have escaped with minor injuries, the other two girls - Nimisha Mane and Priyanka Rai - are still in hospital and have been kept under observation.
Shivani has left behind a heartbroken father and a grieving neighborhood. Jeetendra Janawale, Shivani's neighbour told NDTV, "We are really shocked. I have been with the family since the morning. We never expected something like this to happen."
The left side of the car was completely damaged. From the condition of the car it is easy to see that the car was travelling at a very high speed. Eyewitnesses told NDTV that the car was moving very fast and the driver lost control after hitting a tree.
Senior Police Inspector Madhukar Chaudhuri told reporters "The car was moving fast. We don't know so much, the accident happened at 2:00am in the morning. The car was speeding. The balance of the car was lost, and that's how the accident took place. The driver was drunk."
As Charu Khandal who was knocked down by a drunk driver last week battles for life, it seems, Mumbai is now where close to learning a lesson. Drinking and driving seems to have become a habit and the lax laws are not doing anything to help the situation.