Jhalana accident: Cop axed, family disputes police claim

Jaipur: Alleged negligence by the city traffic police in letting off the driver of a car involved in an accident near Jhalana Doongri on Wednesday night without conducting a medical test on him sparked uproar on Friday, prompting the suspension of an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Accident police station (east) in the evening.DCP (traffic) Sagar Rana said the ASI was placed under suspension for negligence in handling the accident case. Officials of the police station had initially blamed a pothole for the death of Ajay Kumar Sharma, 29, in the crash . However, Ajay’s family and relatives disputed this claim, meeting with police officials on Thursday to present the FIR they had filed, which alleged that the accident was caused by a drunk driver, speeding recklessly.The incident took place around 9:30pm on Wednesday when Ajay was riding a bike with his relative Roshan as a pillion passenger. According to the FIR, a speeding Nexon car, driven by an allegedly intoxicated driver, collided with the bike, killing Ajay. Roshan was later discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment.Police initially claimed that the accident occurred because the car swerved suddenly to avoid a large pothole formed in the middle of the road due to recent heavy rains. However, Bablu Khan, the driver of an e-rickshaw also hit by the same car, refuted this. "The car was speeding excessively, took a wrong turn, hit my rickshaw, and then the bike. The accident was not due to the pothole, but because of reckless driving," he said.Ajay’s colleague, Vikas Pareek, said locals had handed over the car driver to the police, and the FIR clearly mentioned that the driver was drunk at the time of the accident. A delegation including community members and family members of the deceased also met senior police officials, threatening to launch a protest if no action was taken. "The driver was heavily intoxicated and handed over to the police, but the ASI allowed him to leave without conducting a medical examination," said advocate Anil Chaturvedi.A senior police official admitted there was negligence on part of the ASI, confirming 'the ASI in question had allowed the accused to be released on bond without a medical examination'.Videos from the aftermath of the incident soon surfaced on social media, showing locals confronting the car driver and accusing him of driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol. Police said they had seized the car, but locals claimed that the vehicle had broken down after hitting two vehicles and could not have moved anyway.Back in 2019, another ASI of the same police station was suspended for similar negligence.