Pimpri-Chinchwad: A shocking event took place in the Pimpri-Chinchwad city on 6th December when a road rage incident resulted in serious injuries to a Mumbai woman in the eye. The road rage incident took place due to a minor accident, and then, in the fight, the car’s windscreen was damaged, and the shattered glass pierced the woman’s eye. A criminal case has been registered against three with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police.
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A video of the incident, shot inside the Ravet Police Station, shows the victim pleading with the accused, saying, “What should I do if my eye is damaged?” The person recording the video can be heard remarking in Hindi, “Inn ladies ki aankh in darindo ne phod di hai,” which translates to, “These beasts have gouged out the eyes of these women.”
Three people, including a minor, have been booked at the Ravet Police Station after the victim, Puja Subhaschandra Gupta (28, Chembur), filed a complaint.
The accused have been identified as Nikhil Jalinder Dhande (21), Tanmay Sudhakar Pokhar (22), and a minor, all residents of Punawale. Charges include BNS sections 126 (wrongful restraint), 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 324 (mischief), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).
According to police reports, on the evening of December 6, the woman, who was visiting her fiancé’s house in Gaikwad Nagar, Punawale, was returning to Mumbai. She works as a human resources manager at a reputable firm. While her fiancé was dropping her off at the highway to catch a bus, their vehicle accidentally ran over the foot of one of the accused while overtaking a two-wheeler.
Punawale Underpass’s Traffic Creates the Problem
Police said the victims in the car didn't realise this, and they continued their journey. The accused was not that injured. They started following the car and threatened the victims to stop, but they didn't. However, they had to stop at the Punawale underpass due to traffic congestion. Taking advantage of the traffic congestion, the accused followed them up there and started demanding that they get out.
Punawale underpass always has a severe traffic congestion problem. The traffic is known to provide inconvenience to daily commuters, and this time it fuelled a road rage incident. The complainant woman and her fiancé in the car reportedly panicked and hit multiple vehicles in their bid to escape, but they couldn't. The accused threw a stone at the car’s windscreen, and it shattered. A piece of which pierced the victim woman’s eye, and she was seriously injured.
The victim claims that the accused surrounded her car and carried out a violent, coordinated assault, hitting the vehicle from the left, right, front, and rear. More than 100 people, along with two traffic policemen present at the signal, but nobody helped. The victim also said that during the attack, one of the attackers assaulted her directly, attacked her hand, and forcibly snatched her phone.
Police Serve Notices; Vision Still Not Back
Senior Police Inspector Nitin Phatangare, in charge of the Ravet Police Station, told The Free Press Journal, “As soon as we received a complaint, we registered the case, and the accused were detained. We took legal action against them by serving notices. Investigation is underway, and we will take proper action after it, too. The woman is indeed seriously injured. However, we have adhered to legal provisions in the case and will continue to do so.”
The victim woman was diagnosed and had surgery for her eye injury. She told the media that despite over a week since the incident happened, her vision is not yet back. She demanded that the police actually try to save the accused, and they were lenient with them on purpose. She has argued that a case under BNS section 109 (attempt to murder) must be registered against them.
Sr PI Phatangare, however, denied these allegations, saying, “No leniency has been shown, and we have acted according to law. A case has been registered according to the statement of the victim and the investigation.”
