Pune luxury car crash: Allegations against MLA Sunil Tingre baseless, says Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said baseless allegations are being made against Pune MLA Sunil Tigre linking him to the Pune luxury car crash

Baseless allegations are being made against Pune MLA Sunil Tigre linking him to the car crash that left two software engineers dead, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on June 1.

Tingres belongs to the Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and represents the Vadgaon Sheri assembly constituency in Pune city.

Also read | Pune Porsche car crash: A speeding car, two deaths, and a cover-up

Earlier, there were allegations that Mr. Tingre had intervened to ensure that the juvenile got favourable treatment from police after the accident.

Asked about Mr. Tingre’s name popping up in connection with the case, Mr. Pawar told reporters, “Sunil Tingre is an MLA of the area where the incident took place. Whenever such incidents take place, the local MLA often visits the site. Did Sunil Tingre try to suppress the matter? The allegations against him are baseless.” When asked if he had called up Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar after this incident, Pawar said, “I often call the commissioner of police over multiple issues but I haven't made a single call to him in this case.” Two IT professionals were killed in the early hours of May 19 in Kalyani Nagar in Pune after a Porsche allegedly being driven by the minor, who the police claim was drunk, rammed into their two-wheeler.

Mr. Pawar said that Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the home department, had instructed the Pune police the day after the accident to carry out an intensive probe.

“Even the chief minister [Eknath Shinde] has given the right instructions. Action was taken against those police officials who initially delayed the procedure. Those from Sassoon General Hospital who were involved in the case have also faced police action,” he added.