A young child's attempt to cross a busy highway near Pune ended in a serious accident on Sunday afternoon, involving a vehicle carrying a local legislator. The incident has sparked concern and raised questions about road safety and responsibility.
The Incident: A Narrow Miss Before the Impact
The accident occurred around 2:30 pm on Sunday, 30 November, near Borhade Mala on the Pune–Ahmednagar highway in the Shirur area. According to widely circulated CCTV footage, a four-year-old girl was seen attempting to cross the highway alone. The footage shows one vehicle narrowly missing the child before a Mercedes car, which was ferrying Shirur NCP MLA Dnyaneshwar Katke, hit her just after she crossed the road median.
MLA Katke was reportedly traveling to an election event after attending a wedding ceremony when the unfortunate collision took place. Eyewitness accounts from the video corroborate the sequence of events leading to the impact.
Immediate Response and Medical Treatment
Following the accident, MLA Dnyaneshwar Katke took the injured girl to a private hospital in Shirur for initial treatment. In his statement, Katke emphasized that the child was unaccompanied by parents at the time. "She was crossing the road alone. We immediately rushed her to a local hospital. She was later shifted to another hospital in Pune for scans to rule out major injuries. She is stable and recovering," the MLA said.
The girl was subsequently admitted to KEM Hospital in Pune on the evening of 30 November. In an official statement, the hospital detailed her injuries: bruises on her face, injuries to her teeth, and a head wound that required stitches. Her treatment is being supervised by a team of specialists including a paediatrician, neurosurgeon, and paediatric surgeon.
"She is currently stable — both neurologically and overall — and is recovering. She requires close monitoring," the KEM Hospital statement confirmed, offering a cautiously optimistic prognosis.
Police Investigation and Family's Stance
Shirur SDPO Prashant Dhole provided details of the police's current stance on the case. He confirmed the accident occurred near the Shirur bypass but noted a significant lack of formal complaints. "No complaint has been lodged so far. No medico legal case was registered at the hospital. No family member has approached the police yet," Dhole told media outlets.
In a surprising turn, the girl's father, Pandharinath Borhade, appeared to absolve the driver of any blame. "There was no fault of the driver. The MLA only took her to the hospital immediately after the accident," Borhade stated, while confirming his daughter was stable and under treatment at KEM Hospital.
The combination of the CCTV evidence, the lack of a police complaint, and the family's current position creates a complex picture of the event's aftermath. The incident highlights the perennial dangers of high-speed highways and the vulnerability of pedestrians, especially children, in such zones.
