A day after he killed a minor girl by his reckless driving, the 17-year-old son of a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was released on bail on Wednesday by a juvenile court at Aurangabad in Maharashtra.
On Tuesday morning, NCP leader Abdul Qadeer Maulana’s son was detained after the SUV he was driving hit two minor girls and their uncle.
The younger girl died, while the others were admitted to hospital. Their condition is said to be stable.
ADVERTISEMENT
The police said the car driver, Mohammad Amar Chaus, 23, had allowed the 17-year-old minor to be at the wheel. Chaus was arrested on Tuesday. He too was released on bail by a local court.
Ownership being ascertained
Deputy Commissioner of Police Arvind Chavaria said the release of both accused on bail would not hamper the investigation. The police are currently ascertaining the ownership of the car and collecting the testimonies of eyewitnesses.
ADVERTISEMENT
The two-year-old Navya Sonawane was going to a nearby temple with her three-year-old sister Sayali and uncle Shirish, 35, when the SUV hit them at the TV Centre square, where a CCTV captured the incident.
A mob then beat up both and even tried to set the vehicle on fire. Police intervention helped to bring the situation under control.
However, Mr. Maulana has denied the allegations and said his driver Chaus was at the wheel when the accident occurred. “Our driver must have panicked by seeing the angry mob, and hence would have said it was my son who was behind the wheel,” he said.