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Agra/Nagpur: The son of a doctor, who was killed in a road accident allegedly involving a vehicle in the cavalcade of Union minister for human resource development Smriti Irani, has sought the intervention of President Pranab Mukherjee for justice.
In his letter to the President, Ramesh Nagar’s son Abhishek Nagar has alleged he was forced to mention the registration number of a car but was not shown the car by Mathura Police. He has said he was forced to mention the number of the vehicle as DL 3C BA 5315.
Nagar was killed on Saturday night when his motorcycle was hit by a vehicle – a Honda City sedan allegedly part of the minister’s entourage – on the Yamuna Expressway. His 12-year-old daughter and nine-year-old nephew, riding pillion, were also injured. Irani was unhurt but her car suffered some damage.
The family has also threatened to stage a sit-in protest at district headquarter in Agra if no action is taken against the minister who they have blamed for being ‘insensitive’.
“My father was going to attend the marriage on a motorcycle along with daughter Sandili (12) and nephew Pankaj (8). The motorcycle was struck on the Expressway by a rashly driven vehicle in the cavalcade of Smriti Irani which resulted in the death of my father” Abhishek says in the letter written on March 9.
“The driver of vehicle absconded while Smriti Irani left leaving the dead body of my father beside two injured children,” Abhishek says.
“The in-charge of police station denied registering the case when I resisted mentioning this number in FIR and thus had to mention this car number in FIR,” he adds.
They have also alleged that Irani did not help the victims despite their begging with “folded hands”.
The allegations sparked a social media storm with hundreds of users accusing the minister of insensitivity – the latest controversy to hit Irani, who the Opposition accuse of trying to saffronise education and undermine caste-based discrimination and the suicide of scholar Rohith Vemula.
But local police said the vehicle that hit Nagar’s motorcycle was not part of the minister’s entourage – a claim repeated by Irani’s office.
“In case, the minister had adopted a more humane approach and arranged for timely medical help then the life of my father could have been saved. The minister was quite insensitive as she moved away leaving two injured children on the road,” Abhishek alleges.
Superintendent of police (rural) Arun Kumar Singh has denied the charges that Abhishek was forced to mention the number of the vehicle as DL 3C BA 5315.
“They wrote an FIR on their own and there was no pressure as such on complainant for mentioning the specific car number,” Singh said.
Several political leaders like general secretary of Rashtriya Lok Dal Jayant Chaudhary and Congress district president Dushyant Sharma visited the family and promised to help them.
Chaudhary, who met the family on Tuesday, criticised Irani saying she should have helped the injured girl who was pleading. He was also critical of Mathura Police which, according to him, was in a haste to save the minister.
“On one hand, SSP Mathura claims investigations are on and in the same breath holds that it was not the car of Smriti Irani which was involved in the accident and reached the spot only after the accident,” Chaudhary said.
Bahujan Samaj Party MLA from Etmadpur Dharampal also met the family and extended financial help of Rs. 51,000 on Wednesday. He too criticised Irani for her insensitive approach.
Munawwar Ali from Uttar Pradesh Aman Committee demanded a compensation for the family.
