Congress organises essay-writing competition at Pune car crash site
The essay competition was a direct response to the Juvenile Justice Board’s initial decision to grant bail to the underage driver merely 15 hours post the accident
In an effort to maintain the momentum against the current Mahayuti government following the recent Porsche accident in Pune, the Youth Congress organized an essay-writing competition on Sunday. The event took place near the Kalyani Nagar accident site, where a 17-year-old, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, caused the death of two individuals while driving an unregistered Porsche.
Over a hundred individuals, predominantly young people, participated in the competition. They were given a range of topics to write on, including ‘The implications of having a builder as a father’, ‘The detrimental effects of alcohol’, and ‘Is the current administration in a slumber?’
The organizers also announced cash rewards for the top three essays, amounting to ₹11,000, ₹7000, and ₹5000 respectively. A representative from the Youth Congress mentioned that the winning entries would be forwarded to the Home Minister and the Pune Police Commissioner.
Public outcry on Juvenile Justice Board’s decision
The essay competition was a direct response to the Juvenile Justice Board’s initial decision to grant bail to the underage driver merely 15 hours post the accident on May 19. The Board’s order, which asked the teenager to pen a 300-word essay on road accidents, sparked widespread public outrage due to its perceived leniency.
This public outcry led the Board to rescind the bail and remand the boy to an Observation Home until June 5.
Sangeeta Tiwari, a leader from the Pune Congress, criticized the Board’s initial decision as a “an extreme mockery of justice”. She expressed concern that the precedent set by the Board’s decision could potentially allow anyone to cause a fatal accident and escape with a mere essay writing punishment, provided they have influential family connections. She emphasized the palpable anger among the youth and justified the essay competition as a means to awaken the government to this issue.
Ravindra Dhangekar, a Congress MLA from the Kasba Assembly constituency, who has been leading the party’s protests against the city’s ‘pub culture’, called for stringent action against pubs and restaurants that violate norms by serving alcohol to minors and operating beyond their stipulated closing hours.
In connection with the accident, the police have apprehended the teenager’s father, real estate businessman Vishal Agarwal, and his grandfather, Surendra Agarwal. The father was charged under the Juvenile Justice Act for “endangering a child” by allowing him to drive the car despite being aware of his lack of a driving license. The grandfather was arrested for the ‘unlawful detention’ of the driver and coercing him to falsely confess to his grandson’s actions.
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