Pune Porsche car crash: ‘Didn’t make a single call to top cop', claims Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Pune Porsche accident case: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Saturday said he has not made any phone calls to the Pune Police commissioner in connection with the Porsche accident case. The national president of Nationalist Congress Party defended his party’s Vadgaon Sheri MLA Sunil Tingre who is facing public scrutiny over his conduct in the Porsche crash case that killed two IT engineers last month.

On May 19, two software engineers, Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, were killed in Kalyani Nagar, Pune, around 2 am after a Porsche allegedly driven by a drunk teenager hit them.

Tingre allegedly arrived at the Yerwada Police Station at 3.30 am on May 19, an hour post the accident, and remained there until 6 am. Opposition leaders have alleged that he is trying to sway the investigation in favour of the underage accused.

Pawar on Saturday said that Tingre may have reached the police station after getting information about the accident which is a common practice.

“I often call the commissioner of police over multiple issues but I haven't made a single call to him in this case," Pawar told news agency PTI.

“In Maharashtra, public representatives who stay locally do visit the spots if an untoward incident happens. You must be aware that some time ago Tingre had also visited the spot when there was a slab collapse in his constituency,” Pawar added.

It is to be noted that a letter by Tingre recommending  Dr Ajay Taware for appointment as the Medical Superintendent of the hospital has also emerged raising more suspicion about Tingre's involvement in the case. Dr Ajay Taware was arrested for swapping a minor's blood sample in the case.

Pawar further added that the Porsche crash incident happened late night and Tingre had reached the spot after receiving information about it.

“Tingre had received a call, and he has shared in public whose call he received after which he reached the police station. He did not order anyone to protect anybody… Did anyone try to pressure the administration to stop, or did anyone stop the police from registering an offence? Nothing of the sort has happened all that was required has taken place in this case,” said Pawar.

“Even the chief minister (Eknath Shinde) has given the right instructions. Action was taken against those police officials who initially delayed the procedure. Those from Sassoon General Hospital who were involved in the case have also faced police action,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Pune City police arrested the minor boy's mother in the Porsche car crash case for allegedly providing her blood to replace his sample taken post-incident. 

The minor boy on May 19 was allegedly driving the Porsche at high speed under the influence of alcohol when the car crashed into two software engineers who were on a bike.

The teenager is currently in an observation home until June 5. Vishal Agarwal, his father, and Surendra Agarwal, his grandfather, were arrested for allegedly kidnapping the family's driver and coercing him to confess. They are now in custody awaiting trial.

Police have said Dr Taware had 14 phone calls with the minor's father in the two hours before the boy's blood sample collection on May 19.