Ajit Pawar calls for stringent action against those responsible for Pune car crash

Pune, May 24 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday said stringent action should be taken in the car crash case in Pune, in which a 17-year-old accused fatally knocked down two persons.
A Porsche, allegedly driven by the teenager, who the police claim was drunk at the time, killed two motorbike-borne software engineers in Kalyani Nagar area of the city in the early hours of Sunday. The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) had granted him bail while asking him to write a 300-word essay.
Following an outcry over quick bail and the police's review plea, the JJB on Wednesday remanded the teen, son of real estate developer Vishal Agarwal, to the observation home till June 5.
Talking to reporters here, Pawar said, "Probe into the case should be conducted without interference from any political person. Whatever happened was serious and such incidents should be curbed and stringent action should be taken against those who are responsible in the case."
He said he was taking regular updates about the case from the Pune police.
There had been no political interference in the case and the case is being investigated in a transparent manner, the NCP chief said.
Pawar also said that strong action has been initiated against illegal pubs and bars in the city.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Kasba MLA Ravindra Dhangekar wrote a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in which he demanded that the probe into the case should be led by a retired judge.
He said, "Pune is an educational capital. A large number of students from different parts of the state are in the city to study. Pune is widely known as a peaceful city. However, the pub culture is on the rise in the city. The pubs which are operating late at night are creating trouble for many. Moreover, the younger generation is getting addicted to pub culture and their lives seem to be getting ruined."
The Kalyani Nagar incident should be led by a retired judge, he said.
Dhangekar, who contested the Lok Sabha constituency from Pune seat, also staged a protest outside the police commissioner's office demanding that the investigation officer in the Kalyani Nagar accident be suspended and a police case be filed against him.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)