A local court in Vadodara on Saturday extended by two days the police remand of Rakshit Chaurasia, a law student accused of killing one person and injuring seven others in a car accident on Thursday night. The extension was granted after the police informed the court that “several aspects” of the investigation in the case needed to be looked into. The court had earlier granted a one-day custody of the accused.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Vadodara Commissioner of Police transferred three ASI attached to the Karelibaug police station for violation of “standard investigation procedure” and allowing the accused to speak with external media. The officers were identified as Shailendrasinh Ranjitsinh, Tersinh Mavjibhai and Jitendra Babubhai. Komar said, “In a deviation from the standard investigating procedure, the accused was allowed to interact with external media and so, three ASI were transferred to traffic department… The police are conducting a detailed exercise to collect scientific, oral, physical and medical evidence in the case…”
The Vadodara city police on Saturday also completed the reconstruction of the crime scene with Chaurasia.
Komar told this newspaper that the police had “completed the reconstruction” in two parts. Chaurasia was taken to the accident site on Saturday afternoon following a visit to SSG Hospital as he had complained of chest pain and had sustained injuries in the accident. Police said a large crowd had gathered at the scene of crime.
Komar said, “We had conducted a reconstruction on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after being granted the remand. A major reconstruction was completed during th night to understand the lighting and other conditions during the accident… We also took him to th e spot in the afternoon.”
Later on Saturday afternoon, Chaurasia, who seemed unable to walk, was produced in the court, accompanied by two policemen. The Karelibaug police made submissions stating that more time was needed to probe into the sequence of events and the events leading to the accident.
‘Matter of seconds’
It is said that the crash was just a “matter of seconds”. Chaurasia, a student of MS University, hit three two-wheelers within around 250 metres — from Chandravali society circle towards the landmark Amrapali complex in Vadodara’s hustling Karelibaug area — on Thursday night. The sound of crash, the screech of the offending vehicle, and victims’ cries for help turned into a dead silence even before Chaurasia stepped out of his car. The police, in their remand application, mentioned that the accused also screamed “another round” after he stepped out of the car. He was subsequently caught and thrashed by locals.
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An FIR was lodged at Karelibaug police station by Ashish Shah, whose wife Nisha, daughter Rency and son Jamie are undergoing treatment at Zydus hospital. Shah says it was only after “the car came to a halt” that the rampage ended. However, by then, three two-wheelers and eight people had been hit, he recalls. Hemali Patel was killed on the spot.
Shah, an eyewitness in the case, said that around 11pm on Thursday, his wife and two children decided to step out for a short ride. Nisha asked him to wait at the gate of Deepavali Housing Colony, near Amrapali complex, while she took the children out on her two-wheeler. Shah said, “A few minutes later, I saw a speeding black four-wheeler crashing into a two-wheeler near Chandravali Circle. My wife was returning from Chandravali Circle towards our housing colony, when the car hit her two-wheeler too and then a third two-wheeler, on which a woman and a man were travelling…”
Recalling the horror, which unfolded before his eyes, Shah said that the driver of the car did not stop after hitting the first two two-wheelers.
He said, “My daughter Rency was thrown to the ground and my son Jamie flung to the ground. My wife was dragged with her bike for a few metres before the car crashed into the third two-wheeler. Thereafter, the hood of the car opened all of a sudden the vehicle halted and did not move further…”
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Shah said that it was then that bystanders rushed to help and called the ambulance “while the driver of the car as well as the occupant seated next to him, created a ruckus…” It was also during this time that the locals caught a visibly out-of-control Chaurasia, who was chanting ‘Om Namah Shivay’ and striding down the road, away from the car.
Shah said, “The ambulance rushed my wife and children to SSG Hospital. In the emergency ward, I saw my wife with grievous injuries on the head, thighs and the right leg. My daughter Rency had sustained serious injuries on the head, the back of the knees, and above the eyes. My son Jamie had injuries on the right hand, right leg and back. At the hospital, we also learnt about the death of Hemaliben Patel. Her husband Puravbhai was admitted to the ICU with critical injuries…”
Shah’s FIR also has the names of the other victims — Vikas Kevalani, Jayesh Kevalani and Komal Kevalani. According to acquaintances of the Shah family, Nisha suffered “excessive damage to muscles and veins” on her thighs and would require multiple surgeries and a long rehabilitation. One of the acquaintance says, “…it appears that the driver would not have stopped the car, had it not come to a halt… The victims are seriously injured and one of them died on the spot…the sentence should be nothing less than a life imprisonment…”
Meanwhile, MS University management said that since Chaurasia has been arrested in connection with an accident, which occurred outside its campus, the university does not need to consider action against him at the moment.
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“Rakshit Chaurasiya is a student of Semester 8 of the LL.B. programme. As such in the past, there has never been any action or complaint against the student on the university campus for any indiscipline. Regarding the present case of the Vadodara city police, the university is governed by her rule and statute. For incidents outside the campus of the university, the case is with the city police… The university cannot initiate an action at the moment. If in the future, any such guidance is received from the higher authorities, decisions will be taken in accordance,” Prof Hitesh D Raviya, OSD (Public Relations and Communication), MSU, told The Indian Express.