The driver, Ibrahim alias Imran Khan, 19, was allegedly in an inebriated state.
Two days after a drunk driver of a trailer ran over a woman and her three children sleeping on a footpath on Reay Road, tax consultant Kiritbhai Mehta, 50, was crushed to death when a towing van of the traffic police rammed into a parked tempo on Damji Shamji chowk in Ghatkopar (East) on Thursday morning.
The driver, Ibrahim alias Imran Khan, 19, was allegedly in an inebriated state and managed to flee from the spot while head constable (Vikhroli traffic division), Arun Kadam, 47, who was also in the towing van, was caught by locals when he tried to escape. Witnesses allege both of them were drunk.
The incident took place around 10.15am when the speeding van (MH-06-W-3287) lost control and knocked a tempo moving in front. The van then took a sharp left turn, rammed into a stationary tempo and crushed Mehta — who was walking on the footpath — to death, said businessman Bharat Shah, a local resident, who was at the spot when the incident took place.
Local residents and some shopkeeper from the area took Mehta to Rajwadi hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival, said Shah.
“The driver later surrendered to the police. Both Khan and Kadam were drunk,” said Mangal Bhanushali, former corporator of the area.
Enraged residents protested against the traffic police’s high-handedness and the staff’s arrogance. The mob chanted slogans against the traffic police while some residents set the towing van on fire. Two fire engines were called to douse the fire. Two deputy commissioners of police - Sanjay Shintre and Manoj Lohia - reached the spot to pacify the protesters.
Bhanushali demanded that the driver and constable must undergo blood tests at Rajawadi and Sion hospitals to eliminate any chance of them claiming they were not drunk. “Kadam often behaved rudely with vehicle owners and extorted money from them,” Bhanushali alleged.
“Kadam and Khan have been booked under sections 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They will be produced before court on Friday,” said a police officer from the Pant Nagar police station. “Mehta’s family wants both the accused booked under section 302 (murder) of the IPC,” said Ketan Karani, neighbour of the deceased.
Bhanushali said the towing van, too, did not have proper documents and its registration number plate was not mentioned properly. Apart from regional transport officials, two automobile experts will check the van to see if it was in a good condition to drive.
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