Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed on Friday that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Sunil Tingre was questioned regarding his alleged role in the Porsche crash case. "Yes, we have conducted an inquiry of all directly or indirectly associated with the Porsche car case, including MLA Sunil Tingre," Kumar told reporters. However, he did not disclose any further details.
For the unversed, a Porsche, driven by a 17-year-old boy—son of a prominent real estate developer—allegedly under the influence of alcohol, fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne IT professionals in Kalyani Nagar on May 19 this year.
Following the accident, Tingre faced criticism for allegedly trying to influence the investigation into the accident and save the minor driver, particularly since he visited the Yerwada Police Station, which was handling the matter, after the early morning crash. He had then rubbished the allegations. Pune Police officials also then said that no connection was established which could lead to a probe of Tingre in connection with the accident.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in July disclosed that Tingre was questioned by the police for three to four hours after the crash. "In that (case) Sunil (Tingre) faced inquiry for three to four hours. In that inquiry, Sunil told (police) whatever happened very clearly as he was not at all linked to that case. For no reason, some people tried to link his name to the case," said the NCP chief. As an MLA, if one gets to know about some incident in his constituency, it is his responsibility to go to the spot, he added.
Meanwhile, even four months after the accident, the families of the victims await justice. The father of the victim Anish Avadhiya, Om Avadhiya, recently expressed satisfaction with the Pune court's decision to reject the bail applications of the six accused involved in the alleged blood sample manipulation. He also met CP Kumar to learn about the ongoing probe. "The lawyer has been doing his work. The bail of the accused has been rejected and we are satisfied with the way everything is happening. We are hopeful that we will get justice, though it might take some time and be a little late," he told the media.