- SUV with five passengers got stuck in a waterlogged pothole in Patna on Friday evening
- Driver Neetu Singh Choubey alleged the accident was a conspiracy to defame the government
- Road near Patna railway station showed long-neglected repairs and no safety measures
An SUV carrying five passengers got stuck in a massive waterlogged pothole in Bihar's Patna on Friday evening. It was the reaction of the woman driving it that caught the Internet's imagination. The driver alleged that the accident was part of a "conspiracy to defame the government."
A video showing a black Scorpio-N plunging into a deep, waterlogged pothole went viral. The SUV, almost entirely submerged and tilted, soon became an attraction to the locals. In the short clip, two men were seen standing atop the vehicle and opening the driver's side door to ensure nobody was inside it.
The broken and uneven road near the Patna railway station clearly showed that repairs had been neglected for a long time.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the driver, Neetu Singh Choubey, a resident of Bhagalpur, said, "Everyone has been contacted. We spoke with the DM. He said this is a conspiracy to defame the government during the election period. This is all BUIDCO's fault."
She alleged that authorities created the pothole and left it unattended for 20 days. "It's the rainy season. Five people were in the car. If someone had lost their life, who would take responsibility?" she asked.
Choubey further claimed that no safety measures had been implemented to alert commuters. "There was no barricade. Even after my car fell, another person fell off his bike in the same crater. Locals say someone or other falls in this pothole every day."
When asked whether the administration had notified them in advance, she said the officials claimed no written notice had been issued. All passengers have been rescued safely and no injuries have been reported, she added.
