A 40-year-old auto rickshaw driver, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, performed a dangerous stunt by removing his hands from the steering handlebars while speeding on the Alibaug-Pen road near Dharamtar creek bridge in Vadkhal on Friday afternoon. The reckless act caused the vehicle to veer off the road and topple sideways, resulting in the death of one friend and severe injuries to the driver and another passenger.
Victims and Accused Identified
The deceased was Santosh Kishan Gharat (47), a resident of Kharoshi village in Pen taluka, Raigad. The injured auto rickshaw driver, Krishna Jagannath Gharat (40), and the other injured passenger, Gajanan Vasant Mali (41), also hail from the same village. The trio was returning from Alibaug to their village when the incident occurred around 2:15 pm.
Sequence of Events
According to PSI Yogita Sangle of Vadkhal police, the three men had purchased liquor from a wine shop en route and consumed it in the parked auto. As they approached the Dharamtar creek bridge near JSW company's conveyor belt, the driver, Krishna Gharat, began driving rashly under the influence. Despite warnings from his friends to slow down, he ignored them and continued reckless driving. He then performed a stunt by driving with his hands off the handlebars, lost control, and the auto skidded for about 20 metres before toppling sideways.
Passersby rescued the three individuals, who were trapped in the mangled auto rickshaw. Traffic was disrupted for some time as locals gathered at the scene.
Legal Action and Hospitalisation
Police arrived at the spot and rushed the injured to Sanjeevani hospital in Vadkhal, where Santosh Gharat was declared brought dead. The accused driver, Krishna Gharat, and Gajanan Mali are undergoing treatment. Based on a complaint by Gajanan Mali, the Vadkhal police registered an FIR against Krishna Gharat under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash or negligent acts endangering human life or personal safety, and rash and negligent driving on a public way. Additional charges under the Motor Vehicle Act include dangerous driving and drunk driving.
PSI Sangle stated, "The accused auto driver Krishna Gharat and his two friends Santosh Gharat and Gajanan Mali were returning from Alibaug to reach their village in Pen taluka. On the way, they purchased liquor from a wine shop and consumed liquor in Gharat’s parked auto. Around 2.15 pm, when their auto reached the Dharamtar creek bridge near JSW company’s conveyor belt, the auto driver, Gharat, drove rashly under the influence of alcohol. His friends, seated on the passenger seats, had warned him to slow down. But Gharat ignored their warning and instead continued to drive recklessly. He lost control, and the auto skidded for about 20 metres and toppled sideways. The three of them were stuck in the mangled auto rickshaw and were removed by the passersby. The traffic movement was disrupted for some time as the locals crowded at the spot."
As of now, Krishna Gharat has not been arrested due to his medical treatment. The higher authorities will decide on his arrest given the stringent BNS section invoked against him for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
