A road accident case from Gujarat’s Vadodara in which a car driven by a youth rammed a two-wheeler, leaving one woman dead and some others injured, has hit headlines with the video of the incident showing the accused screaming ‘another round’ after getting off the vehicle.
A woman was killed on the spot and four others sustained injuries when the speeding car driven by the 23-year-old, identified as Rakshit Chaurasia, crashed into their two-wheelers in Gujarat’s Vadodara city in the early hours of Friday.
The accident took around 12.30 am near Muktanand cross roads in the Karelibaug area following which Rakshit Chaurasia was arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police Panna Momaya.
Who is Rakshit Chaurasia?
Police said Rakshit Chaurasia, a law student who originally hails from Uttar Pradesh Varanasi, could have been driving the vehicle in an inebriated state. Police said Chaurasia does have a driving licence.
Rakshit Chaurasia is studying law and lives in a PG accommodation in Vadodara, Momaya told reporters on Friday, adding that the deceased woman was identified as Hemali Patel, who was riding her scooter at the time of the accident.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Chaurasia studies at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara.
In an interview to a local news portal after the accident, Rakshit Chaurasia said the airbags of the car he was driving opened up when the vehicle hit the two-wheeler. He denied being drunk at the time of the accident.
‘Another round’: Accused heard saying after accident
It could be a case of drunk driving as eyewitnesses, who caught Chaurasia at the scene, told the police that he appeared intoxicated and was screaming “another round, another round” after coming out of the car, the official said.
Videos of the incident taken by bystanders also showed the above.
Police said the vehicle is registered in the name of Duan Technology, a company run by father of Pranshu Chauhan, who was sitting beside Chaurasia during the incident. Pranshu was also taken into custody, DCP Panna Momaya said.
In a video captured by an eyewitness, Chauhan comes out of the car, with a wrecked front portion, and starts blaming Chaurasia for the crash.
Chaurasia, who appears incoherent, keeps shouting, “Another round? Another round?”. The video shows Chaurasia getting thrashed by bystanders, who subsequently handed him over to the police.
Rakshit Chaurasia is also heard mentioning a name – Nikita – and chanting, ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ in the video.
CCTV footage captured the speeding car hitting two scooters, knocking down the riders and dragging them along before coming to a halt.
“Primarily, the car was over-speeding. This can also be a case of drunk driving. We will conduct his medical test to determine whether he was under the influence of alcohol,” said DCP, adding that Chaurasia does have a driving licence.