Two significant incidents that occurred in Gujarat recently attracted the attention of nearly the whole country. The events were shocking and heartbreaking. Legal action is underway in both cases. However, why do individuals believe the two instances are different?
One instance had antisocial elements openly brandishing swords and intimidating bystanders in Vastral of Ahmedabad and the other involved Rakshit Chaurasia who killed a woman and wounded seven other people by his speeding car in Vadodara. Ironically his name is Rakshit (protector), but ended up destroying lives.
These two tragedies were not the only ones that occurred in Gujarat. Such situations have transpired on multiple occasions in the past, and each time, action was carried out. People eventually forget about them. They, however, cannot overlook the action that follows the same pattern consistently. P olice have responded differently in each case. Let’s discuss the two in more detail.
Anti-social elements create terror in Ahmedabad, houses vandalised
The date was 13th-14th March when some anti-social individuals wreaked havoc at night in Vastral and their videos went viral on the media and online. They waved swords in public and attacked passersby. They also damaged vehicles. Part two of the video was released a few hours after the first one in which the police publicly thrashed the accused and paraded them on the streets. Afterwards, more clips of these videos surfaced.
Some displayed the action taken against the culprits while others showed the protests by the family members of the latter. Another footage featured the demolition of their houses under the protection of the police administration. Several people were also seen destroying the kutcha houses located in the area with hammers. Many perpetrators were caught during the night while the remaining were nabbed next morning. The authorities should continue their action as it is necessary to be strict with those who harass common people, to prevent similar instances in the future.
After the incident, the state police chief also ordered swift action and asked to prepare a list of all such individuals in Gujarat within 100 hours following which further measures ensued. The 14 accused in the case were sent on 4-day remand. According to the latest reports, 13 of them have been sent to judicial custody. The cops file a First Information Report (FIR) after the arrest and the accused are brought before the court once the investigation is completed, in these matters. Notably, the main accused is still absconding and the hunt is on to catch him. A charge sheet will be submitted in court once the inquiry is over.
Accused arrested in Vadodara case
Let’s now analyze the case in Vadodara which happened on 13th March. It occurred at the same time as the aforementioned issue in Vastral. Gujarat received national attention as a result of both instances. The incident in Vadodara took place in the Karelibaug area close to the Amrapali Complex. Rakshit Chaurasia, a law student of MS University, drove the car at full speed in a drunken state and crushed 8 people including a woman (Hemali Patel) died on the spot.
He then came out of the four-wheeler and shouted “another round, another round” as if nothing had happened. The video also gained notoriety online as netizens expressed their outrage. He was apprehended by the locals and turned over to the authorities. The police then conducted a rapid test on Rakshith and Prince Chauhan (his friend who was in the car) which revealed that the pair had taken drugs and alcohol. However, the medical test report is yet to be released.
The accused brought the drugs to “enjoy” Holi, according to the police statement. They are currently in protected police remand. The probe is ongoing and further action will be decided after the medical report is received. The date of hearing is also not fixed. The accused is a Varanasi native who is at present a student in Vadodara. It is obvious that he hails from a wealthy household because he stated that his father is a “businessman.”
Discussion on social media about both incidents, questions on police action too
The two instances listed above have generated a lot of debate on social media. Users responded to the police move and remarked that although Gujarat Police inquired both crimes, which happened simultaneously in the state, no real action has been taken against Rakshit while the homes of the accused in Ahmedabad have been razed. The police’s lack of a firm stance against the young man has infuriated people. He reportedly belongs to an affluent family while the offenders from the other case have unprivileged roots.
It is vital for the police to keep an eye on those who cause nuisance in public. However, the lack of action by the police against the perpetrators in Vadodara case is incomprehensible to the people. The same was previously observed in the Tathya Patel case. He ran over nine individuals and killed them instantly on 20th July 2023, when he drove his Jaguar car at a high speed (more than 142.5 kmph) on the Iskcon Bridge. Tathya Patel’s father was charged with acting outrageously even after the incident. No particular measures were taken during that incident and users are blaming the police of failing to take a firm stance this time around as well.
Debate regarding the stance of the judiciary
On the other hand, there is also debate among users concerning the court’s stance. People frequently talk about the court’s lenient attitude in cases such as Tathya Patel and now Vadodara incident. The reason is that these people have powerful connections because of their wealthy parents while middle-class individuals are publically humiliated and have their illegal homes eliminated. The fact that Prajnesh Harshadbhai Patel alias Gota, Tathya Patel’s father, was also granted bail and that his company/business has not been thoroughly investigated is another topic of controversy.
However, Tathya Patel cannot be released from prison after nine people were killed. He is incarcerated at Sabarmati Central Jail at the moment. He has submitted multiple bail applications, including both regular and temporary bail. However, his plea was continuously denied by the Gujarat High Court and the Ahmedabad Sessions Court. The judge recently denied his bail request in December 2024. The matter is still pending, though.
Judiciary’s position in Pune Porsche case
The Pune Porsche case triggered the most discussion about the court’s position. Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, two young IT experts were killed on 19th May 2024, when a 17-year-old inebriated minor drove a Porsche and crushed them. The accused was granted bail with “severe” terms by the Juvenile Justice Board just hours after the incident. The conditions included completing a 300-word essay, serving 15 days of traffic duty with the Yerawada police, seeking treatment for addiction and going to counseling. The nation was so enraged by the board’s judgment that on 22nd May the JJB was forced to revoke the bail and place the accused in an observation house until 5th June.
He was released from the observation home by the Bombay High Court on 25th June and granted his custody to his aunt. Furthermore, the Pune Police petitioned JJB to have the youngster tried as an adult and it remains pending. The teenager, of course, came from privileged background as well. These young men who were seen intoxicated in these startling occurrences are members of prominent families. Their expensive vehicles are now a topic of conversation too. Charges of tampering with evidence, pressuring the driver to take the blame and altering the blood sample have been brought against the accused’s father, mother and grandfather in the Pune case.
On 27th May, Dr Ajay Taware and Dr Shrihari Halnor of Sassoon Hospital were arrested as they had altered the blood sample of the accused which prevented his drunken state from being exposed. He is still out on bail and no punishment has been imposed om him by the court. Moreover, the Bombay High Court pronounced that he should be treated as an underage under the Juvenile Justice Act. Netizens raised objections that he murdered two people, IT specialists, at that. The culprit has completed the 15-day safe driving course and submitted an essay in the court.
Why are the people angry
The aforementioned conversations addresses the infamous and contentious cases. Netizens are furious at the dearth of action taken against the children of such affluent parents. Why are they not reprimanded publicly? Why is their ancestral properties or businesses not being investigated? Why are they not subjected to the same standard of inquiry? Why they aren’t in Tihar jail? Why does the police lack the ability to take decisive action while the court readily grants bail to such accused in exchange for written essays or statements? These questions have incensed people on social media.
Whether it is the Vadodara incident, the Ahmedabad Iskcon bridge case or the Pune Porsche instance, the lack of effective measures like the one enforced in Vastral has been bothering people amid debates on social media. There are calls for the police to treat all of the accused with the same toughness as they did in Ahmedabad. Similar measures should have been executed in the Vadodar case and other such incidents akin to Vastral where a strong example was set. Thus, the mania for speeding cars could have been curbed among such wealthy individuals, and a precedent for society could have been established.
Read the original article in Gujarati here.
