Speed, System, and Society: The Pune Porsche Accident Case
What is the punishment of a minor (17 y/o boy) for killing two people, in a hit and run case in India? An essay of 300 words! This incidence of Pune is not the only incidence. It points towards a pattern that, if your father is a rich person, if you are a celebrity, then the law is different for you. And nothing will happen to you until there is a national outrage.
The Incident:
On Sunday, May 19, 2024, a tragic accident took place in Pune when a Porsche car, driven by a 17-year-old boy, crashed into a motorcycle, resulting in the death of a couple. The underage driver was found to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The investigation that followed led to the arrest of the minor’s father on Monday, May 20, 2024. On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, bar owners were arrested for allegedly serving alcohol to the minor.
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| Pune Porche car accident image |
A System in Question:
This is the same story we have heard it so many times in some form or the other and if we as a common man, it makes us irritated. Now, the question is who is responsible for this murder? Corrupt showroom, which delivered the car without registration? those who make laws, who leave such loopholes for showrooms? Irresponsible parents, who let their son drive without a license? Corrupt pub, who let a minor drink liquor worth Rs. 48,000? Corrupt police, who were feeding pizzas and burgers to the accused before the alcohol test? Or corrupt legal system, who were going to let the accused go by only writing an essay of 300 words?
Usually, it takes years for the culprits to be punished. But to get a rich father's son released, work gets done even on an off day. Along with this, our traffic system is equally responsible for this whole matter. Because there are rules, but who follows them? Wearing a helmet is a rule, but still, where is the helmet worn? Even after this accident, no one wears a helmet in Pune. This has become quite common. The police also think that how many people should be caught. People have always been told that helmets and seatbelts are for their own safety. Following the speed limit is also important for our own safety. But still, we hear the sounds of cars and bikes racing every night.
Due to COVID-19 everyone was at home for 2 years. Still, even today, we spit on the road. We do not feel ashamed of all. So, such an accident, how does it matter? People will outrage for 2 days. But the system will remain the same. The characters of the story can change, but yes, the story will remain the same. Today it was Porsche, tomorrow it can be Ferrari. Until and unless every person involved is punished, nothing will change. Today we see that bulldozers are being run on illegal pubs in Pune. So, if it was known that there are illegal pubs, then why didn't the bulldozer run on them before this accident?
The car dealer says that they did a temporary registration and handed over the car to the owner. After that, the responsibility is of the owner. This is legally correct, but how ethical is it? Don't you think there should be a change in the rules? The car was electric, so there was no road tax or anything. Only the registration fee of Rs 1,758 was left to be paid. Yes, the rule says that a car with a temporary number plate, can only go from home to RTO and from RTO to home and the traffic police don't take any action on this. But Vedant has done the accident returning from a bar! How justified is this? Just think, since air bags were deployed, Vedant Agarwal could not escape. But what if he had run away? He would have got another excuse to blame someone else!
According to reports, Vedant Agarwal and his friends had made a bill of Rs 48,000. The law says that without checking the ID proof, serving liquor is illegal. There is a rule, but who follows it? Luckily, it has CCTV footage. Otherwise, no alcohol was detected in the blood test. The blood sample which was taken at Sassoon Hospital was thrown in a dustbin of the hospital and the blood sample of another person was taken and sent to the forensic lab. CMO Srihari Halnor replaced this blood sample on the instructions of the HOD Forensic Medicine Department of Sasson, Ajay Tawre. After the news got viral, the two doctors got arrested on the charge of manipulation of blood sample.
That means, from police to the medical examiners everyone has tried to prove Vedant Agarwal as innocent.
There are so many questions. And the biggest question is why has this become so common? What was the fault of those two youngsters who lost their lives? We have collectively accepted that nothing can happen in this country. India has only 1% cars in the world, but 10% road fatalities. And who is responsible? Those corrupt driving schools, those give anyone a driving license just for a few pennies. For Rs. 500, they play with the lives of the people. This story is in the news today. But there are many such stories that do not reach us. In 2021, a Jaguar SUV collided with a truck in Gujarat Wherein, 9 people were killed and 13 people were seriously injured. In 2018, there was a race between car and bike in which a 28-year-old from Jaipur died. There are millions of such incidents that do not even come in the news.
The Role of Independent/Social Media:
The role of the social media was very important in this case. Often, people abuse the media. But journalists like Shiv Aroor continued reporting on this incident. That is why this local issue became a national issue. Imagine, if there was not such a big outrage on the internet, then everyone would have been released. Even after all this, if such type of culprits were not punished, then all of us will lose our trust on judicial system.
From Tragedy to Responsibility:
The conclusion of this post is nothing, because you must be smart. You must be following the rules. Where the police themselves ride a bike without a helmet, drive on the wrong side, and don't fine the politicians, what do we expect from a common man there? After getting a little power, everyone abuses it, and this is what that makes us angry. Hopefully after this incidence, at least 1% people should start taking road safety seriously. Because it is not in our hands to become a victim or not. But it is in our hands not to become Vedant Agarwal. It is in our hands not to become Vedant Agarwal's parents.
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